Daily Devotional

In John 15 Jesus makes a simile of believers ... to the branches on a vine. Jesus made it very simple for us — He did not call us the roots, or the fruit itself. He does not even call us the leaves. But the branches. Why? Because branches are responsible for producing fruit. That's all. A branch just has to bear fruit.

And Jesus says a branch that bears fruit will be pruned so that more fruit can be gathered. What do you need to know about pruning vines?

Pruning is necessary. According to experts, if you fail to prune grapevines they will go completely berserk. It does not take long for a vine to reach 30 or more feet. But vines that reach this size are usually unproductive. Without pruning, the Christian will become unproductive.

Pruning encourages new wood to grow and the grapevine fruits only on new wood. You can be assured that God is making new wood out of you every day. Remember that the more fruitful you become the more God prunes you. When pruning is done correctly, you bear enough fruit in due season.

Pruning ensures that there is a balance between the vines growth and the production of fruit. Basically, your branches will only grow as fast as you absorb from the vine. A branch never starts off by giving too much fruit. There is a gradual improvement in the bearing of fruit as the branch matures.

There is a difference between pruning and training. Pruning grapevines is done when vines are totally dormant, i.e. sleeping, at rest, not in action. As a Christian, know that you will have times of deep rest. God will not allow His branches to work so hard that they forget to rest. It is true, though, that we prune to train vines. So when God prunes you, He will train you to be more fruitful.