What branch are you?
John 15:2, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”
“Growers often neglect the annual training and pruning of fruit trees. Without training and pruning, however, fruit trees will not develop proper shape and form. Properly trained and pruned trees will yield high quality fruit much earlier in their lives and live significantly longer.
A primary objective of training and pruning is to develop a strong tree framework that will support fruit production. Improperly trained fruit trees generally have very upright branch angles, which result in serious limb breakage under a heavy fruit load. This significantly reduces the productivity of the tree and may greatly reduce tree life. Another goal of annual training and pruning is to remove dead, diseased, or broken limbs.
Proper tree training also opens up the tree canopy to maximize light penetration. For most deciduous tree fruit, flower buds for the current season’s crop are formed the previous summer. Light penetration is essential for flower bud development and optimal fruit set, flavor, and quality. Although a mature tree may be growing in full sun, a very dense canopy may not allow enough light to reach 12 to 18 inches inside the canopy. Opening the tree canopy also permits adequate air movement through the tree, which promotes rapid drying to minimize disease infection and allows thorough pesticide penetration. Additionally, a wellshaped fruit tree is aesthetically pleasing, whether in a landscaped yard, garden, or commercial orchard.” ~North Carolina State University
If your life(branch) produces no fruit it will be cut off and thrown into the fire. Though notice that Jesus didn’t say if you produce okay, decent, adequate fruit that the branch would be cut off…just the branches that produce no fruit. This is because God (Gardener/Vinedresser) can cut back your branch so that it can produce good fruit!
This process is good, by cutting off the branches that bear no fruit(diseased) it prevents it from spreading to other branches. The cutting back of the live branches help shape the vine/tree and stimulates growth! He does it in the right seasons in our lives so that it is most optimal for producing good fruit.
“How does God prune us? He uses problems, pressures, and people. Oh, does he use people! People will criticize and challenge you. They will question and doubt you. They will challenge your motives. God is using them to prune you. God can use every situation in your life to help you grow if you will just have the right attitude. He can use it all—the problems you bring on yourself, a major disappointment, a financial reversal, a sudden illness, a broken marriage, a rebellious child, the death of a loved one. He will and he does use them all as part of the pruning process to make you even more fruitful.” Rick Warren
Recognize every season, trial, valley, blessing, mountain, etc and ask God what He would have you learn from it. Discipline is not fun or enjoyable…Hebrews 12:11, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” In verses 7-10, explains that He does it because He considers us His children. When He is finished pruning our life will look manicured and our life will produce better fruit than before. Lets not complain when going through these things but rejoice that our Father in Heaven cares enough to work in us because He loves us!
