Read John 15:1-4. Circle the words that stand out to you. What is the Lord saying to you?
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 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. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
Reflections on the Word
We have some rose bushes in the front of our home. It’s beautiful to see and smell the red and yellow roses when they bloom. It makes the yard look so much more beautiful. However, I noticed that there were “suckers” on it. I call these stems “suckers” because these shoots keep growing and growing and take up all the nutrients, but never or hardly ever produce any buds. So, I cut these unproductive stems off that the rose bushes can bud and bloom even more.
God in His grace has grafted us into the Vine. We became part of that Vine when we respond in faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior. This is the work of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:3-7). At that moment God grants us eternal salvation. While we may think that there is nothing more to the Christian life as we got our ticket to heaven, God has something more for us. He has planned and desires us to have the abundant life, bearing good fruit.
Jesus declared that the Father is the Gardener. John records this, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 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.”
Have you ever stopped and pondered that truth? The Father watches over His vineyard. He is the one who tends to all the branches. As the gardener, He desires that every branch is healthy so that it can be fruitful. To do that, He is willing to cut off dead branches and unproductive stems.
If the Father happens to cut off a dead branch, one doesn’t lose his or her salvation. Our salvation is not based on our good works. Ephesians 2:8-9, says, “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” Additionally, Romans 8:38-39 guarantees our salvation and continued love of God for us in view of our future poor choices. While we have assurance of salvation, let us also be reminded that God will discipline those He loves.
If a believer chooses waywardness that cause him/her to stop receiving the life-giving nutrients for one’s spiritual soul, that branch being unhealthy slowly dries up and loses its productivity. But before the Father removes the possibility of fruitfulness, He seeks to correct one’s way. So, take heed of God’s discipline before He chooses greater discipline or ultimately, cutting one’s life short. God may call a believer home early if we become like the world and live like the world. The Father cutting off a branch means the loss of future rewards before the Bema Seat of Christ (I Cor. 3:12-15).
What is difficult for me to grasp is that the Gardener even prunes the fruitful branches. While it is understandable that He cuts off unproductive areas of our lives to produce more fruit, in His wisdom, He may choose to cut off areas of our lives that produce too much. I would have thought that He would allow the branches to continually grow more and more and bigger and bigger fruit in our lives! But the Gardener knows what is best for each branch. It may be overladen, overtaxed, and overworked. The branch may need to lighten its load to produce the best fruit.
Are you wandering purposeless in your life or overburdened with more and more “good” things to do? Our Heavenly Father, the Gardener seeks our best. He wants the abundant life for us. It’s a life filled with producing truly good fruit as we abide in Christ. Are we abiding or remaining in Him? If so, fruitfulness is coming our way.
-Kingston