Spring is coming

2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. John 15:2-4

Spring is coming…. I know it may seem far away for you northerners in this SUB ZERO weather, but down here in Texas, despite a touch of snow Saturday morning…. today is sunny and warm… With January coming to it’s end, spring is not far off…

In our house, we have some new plants started on the kitchen table. I have always enjoyed gardening, but last fall, I lost my outside crop of strawberries, basil, cilantro and mint, when the freeze came before I expected it. I lost all those plants overnight.

This weekend we started new with some potted flowers, some new mint, and some rosemary and strawberries. Keeping them in well lit areas and fed with nutrients has already shown up in their growth just over the last week or so. It makes a HUGE difference when the GARDENER is PRESENT and attentive to their needs..

The verses above state the same for my life… note the hard part…. “and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

You know what really stinks some times is getting “pruned” by God? As much as God’s pruning may be painful, it is FAR BETTER than getting plucked from the GARDEN ALL TOGETHER!!! Note above that the LORD has NO NEED for non-fruit bearing followers. That is, Faith in Christ and surrender of our lives to His Will mean nothing if we are not productive. When God prunes my life and limbs and branches HE RARELY gives me notice or lets me know what is getting trimmed first or how far back down the branch HE NEEDS TO CUT…. But it ALWAYS shows 2 things…

1. Learning
2. Growth

God’s pruning over His fruit bearing children bring learning and growth every time. Just like the plants out back in the yard last fall, I learned that I need to be PROACTIVE with the weather, (better prepared) AND I saw NO MORE growth when the gardener (me) was not involved daily.

Life with Christ is no different! Do we really want Him to “let go” of our daily needs and concerns and play gardener over us from a distance? Of course not!!! There are seasons for us of learning and growth that will ONLY come after some serious pruning. He will cut and trim the places in our hearts that are toxic or dead and He will manicure our lives into Himself and His Spirit and like-ness. THIS IS GOOD although it is DIFFICULT.

But remember, as the cold winter air is blowing, SPRING IS COMING… open you eyes to the pruning from God and get ready for some serious learning and growth!!!