Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:2)

One summer, when I was a young boy, my grandfather asked me to help him prune the apple trees in his orchard. I watched with indifference as he cut away the broken or dead branches. However, when he started cutting off what looked to me like strong and healthy branches, I quickly became confused. My grandfather told me that pruning the good branches, as well as, the broken and dead branches, would make it possible for the tree to produce even more apples in the future. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand how what he was telling me could possibly true given what I was observing. Pruning was then, and is even today, somewhat of a mystery to me. I understand the theory of pruning; but I must admit that it still mystifies the little boy within me.

Jesus told us that the Father prunes us to increase the yield of His harvest in our lives. Pruning is never pleasant. God repeatedly examines our lives and prunes everything that He deems to be a hindrance to the Holy Spirit‘s work of producing more of the fruit of the Spirit in us. We will notice the result of His pruning in that some of our relationships suddenly, and for no apparent reason, change, or disappear altogether. We awaken to find that the activities we enjoyed yesterday, no longer hold any joy or interest for us today. We are branches connected to the vine in the Lord’s vineyard and God is committed to do whatever it takes to position us to allow the Holy Spirit to help us produce our full potential of the fruit of the Spirit.

There are only two choices as to your response to the Lord’s pruning in your life: you can either trust Him, or cuss Him. If God is pruning your life, it can only mean that He sees something in your future that He is preparing for you. God is committed to prune areas of your life that will keep you from reaching your God-appointed and God-intended potential. What is a mystery to you today, will be a blessing to you tomorrow.