When God does the pruning 

Jesus said in John 15:1-2,

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (John 16:5).

The Word prune means: To cultivate, to trim, to cut off defects or to clip off imperfections.

In John 15:1-2, Jesus uses the metaphor of a vine and branches to explain how God works in our lives. He compares himself to the vine, God the Father to the gardener, and us to the branches.

When we bear good fruit in our lives, God prunes us, which means he helps us grow and become even better. This process might involve removing negative influences or unhealthy habits from our lives, similar to how unnecessary branches are trimmed from a plant. 

Just like trees shed their leaves in the fall to make way for new growth, God sometimes prunes us to prepare us for new things in our lives. This might involve letting go of things that are holding us back or leading us to make poor choices.

It’s not always easy, but pruning helps us grow spiritually and become better people. It requires us to evaluate our lives and make positive changes, with the help of the Holy Spirit. This process also involves following the teachings of Jesus and making sacrifices for the greater good.

Pruning requires crucifying your flesh through obedience to the Word of God. It means picking up your cross daily and following the foot steps of Christ (Matthew 16:24).  

Our generation is a cross-less generation. We want the crown without the cross, we want to enter the promise land without going through the wilderness, we want the power of the Holy Spirit without the wilderness experience that Jesus had to go through (Matthew 4:1-11).

Ultimately, just as a gardener prunes branches to help them bear more fruit, God prunes us to help us become better and more fruitful people for the benefit of ourselves and others.

Pastor Andrew A. Osei