"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 15:1-2 NIV
prune v. "To cut off that which is not wanted or not necessary" (Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus, p. 199).
These two verses from John are so fascinating to me for several reasons. First, are they not so very true? Do they resonate so painfully deep within you as they do me? God has been doing a work within me ever since He saved me, and I have seen Him take objects, thought-patterns, and people out of my life so that I can be even more fruitful, displaying the greatness of the Vine. That in itself is such a fascinating reality: God is active in my life, and He is the one removing things. There is an initial temptation to be angry with him for these upheavals, but I need to fight to see His work for what it is - to cause me to shine brighter.
My eyes were opened the other day to the word "prune" in John 15:2. This word should be important to all who are in Christ, for we are the branches in these verses (John 15:5). We are the branches and we are being pruned by God. This reality is what prompted me to look up the word "prune" in Webster's Dictionary: "To cut off that which is not wanted or not necessary." I don't know about you, but that word "cut" does not pass by me with ease. When God prunes us, he is cutting us deeply; he wounds us in love to make us more beautiful. If He did not, we would not produce more fruit. We would not be all that we are intended to be.
In the book The Hidden Smile of God by John Piper, Piper outlines the lives of three extraordinary saints: John Bunyan, William Cowper, and David Brainerd. In it is a quote from John Bunyan that I think is beautiful and highlights well what I am trying to say. It reads,
"Conversion is not the smooth, easy-going process some men seem to think....It is wounding work, of course, this breaking of the hearts, but without wounding there is no saving....Where there is grafting there is cutting, the scion must be let in with a wound; to stick it on to the outside or to tie it on with a string would be of no use. Heart must be set to heart and back to back, or there will be no sap from root to branch, and this I say, must be done by a wound" (p.65).
What a beautiful passage, one in which may have inspired this entry. Are you being pruned? Or perhaps a better question would be, can you feel the pruning work of the Lord? It hurts. It is sad work that sometimes brings tears. Know that your heavenly Father is pruning you. Know that He loves you. Know that He is a perfect "gardener," and His pruning work always produces the best of fruit.
Works Cited
Piper, John. The Hidden Smile of God. Crossway Books. Wheaton, Illinois: 2001.
Webster's Two In One Dictionary And Thesaurus. Nichols Publishing Group. U.S.A.: 1999.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Where Is Joy?
There was a man who lived, once upon a time. As he grew up, all of his dreams came true. He got the woman he desired. She was beautiful, and a faithful wife. He became the leader of an organization that was one of the most powerful organizations in the world. It was the job that he had always wanted. Before marriage, he and his future wife dreamed and talked often of having children together; specifically three boys and two girls. After fifteen years of marriage, their dream was fulfilled. All of their children were healthy in every way, and they grew up to be very successful men and women. When the man turned 50 years-old, he had attained so much wealth that he was able to retire from work. He and his wife moved to their favorite vacation spot; another dream becoming a reality. The man and his wife saw their children often, and were blessed with many grandchildren.
There once lived another man, alive during this same time. He was born into the world with a rare disease; one the doctors said would take his life around the age of 30. One day, he fell deeply in love with a beautiful woman, a woman he had known and admired his whole life. He had always dreamed of being with her. They were great friends. He finally poured out his heart to her one day, hoping that she would return his affections, affirming his dreams for them. She, however, did not love him back. He eventually moved on, and engrossed himself in his baseball career. He was a superior college athlete, who everyone said would one day end up playing major league baseball. Unfortunately one day, during a game, as he dove for a ball, he broke his leg so badly that he was unable to play baseball again. His dreams of playing baseball professionally were over. Of course, with his disease, how long would he live anyway? He finally fell in love again and married. He and his wife always dreamed of having a family; specifically three girls and two boys. One day the doctor broke the news to them that they were unable to have children. After the sadness, in time, they adopted two beautiful children. Meanwhile, though the man worked harder than most men at what he did, his job did not provide much money for his family. Yet there was always enough. As the years passed on, this man, this husband, this father, passed away from the disease that he was born with; he was 38 years-old.
There was another man who lived once upon a time. We find him sitting on a beach, writing in his journal and enjoying the ocean breeze. Hearing joyous laughter, he looked up, peering over his glasses. He saw two families, and observed them intently; he enjoyed contemplating things. It so happens that these two families were the two families from earlier in this story. He noticed one family shining brightly and bursting with joy. The other family, he observed, seemed to be sad and empty. Still contemplating the situation before him, he stared at the family that shown so brightly and thought to himself, "where is the father?" After a few of his own quick answers to this internal question, something else along the beach caught his eye, and his mind wandered towards other things. Only later would he come to grasp what he had seen that day, something that he would later tell his grandchildren...
"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" Mark 8:36
"Then will I go to the alter of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God." Psalm 43:4
There once lived another man, alive during this same time. He was born into the world with a rare disease; one the doctors said would take his life around the age of 30. One day, he fell deeply in love with a beautiful woman, a woman he had known and admired his whole life. He had always dreamed of being with her. They were great friends. He finally poured out his heart to her one day, hoping that she would return his affections, affirming his dreams for them. She, however, did not love him back. He eventually moved on, and engrossed himself in his baseball career. He was a superior college athlete, who everyone said would one day end up playing major league baseball. Unfortunately one day, during a game, as he dove for a ball, he broke his leg so badly that he was unable to play baseball again. His dreams of playing baseball professionally were over. Of course, with his disease, how long would he live anyway? He finally fell in love again and married. He and his wife always dreamed of having a family; specifically three girls and two boys. One day the doctor broke the news to them that they were unable to have children. After the sadness, in time, they adopted two beautiful children. Meanwhile, though the man worked harder than most men at what he did, his job did not provide much money for his family. Yet there was always enough. As the years passed on, this man, this husband, this father, passed away from the disease that he was born with; he was 38 years-old.
There was another man who lived once upon a time. We find him sitting on a beach, writing in his journal and enjoying the ocean breeze. Hearing joyous laughter, he looked up, peering over his glasses. He saw two families, and observed them intently; he enjoyed contemplating things. It so happens that these two families were the two families from earlier in this story. He noticed one family shining brightly and bursting with joy. The other family, he observed, seemed to be sad and empty. Still contemplating the situation before him, he stared at the family that shown so brightly and thought to himself, "where is the father?" After a few of his own quick answers to this internal question, something else along the beach caught his eye, and his mind wandered towards other things. Only later would he come to grasp what he had seen that day, something that he would later tell his grandchildren...
"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" Mark 8:36
"Then will I go to the alter of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God." Psalm 43:4
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