“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, so that it may bear more fruit … I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing … You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, He may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.” — John 15:1-2, 5, 16-17 (ESV)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” — Galatians 5: 22-23 (ESV)
In the Book of Ezekiel, God promises to give His people a Spirit that will dwell in them and enable them to live His way (Ezekiel 36:27). At Pentecost, the promised Holy Spirit came. Through God’s faithfulness, we’ve been filled with His Spirit and empowered to do what He’s planned for us since before time began. The fruit of the Spirit is the result of our seeking to grow under the guidance and power of His Spirit.
We’ve been planted in places and with people where the Lord knows we can most glorify Him. Created uniquely, having been given particular traits and skills, we can choose to allow Christ to work in and through us. When He asks something of us, He provides the tools necessary to complete it. Our responsibility is to abide in Him. He takes care of the rest.
In abiding, we choose to be completely dependent on Jesus. The fruit we bear is evidenced by His abiding on the throne of our lives. The greater our intimacy with the Vine, the greater the fruit that’s grown on the branch. When we’re strongly abiding in Him, we can expect resurrection power to be at work in our lives. When we allow that power to flow through us, nothing can hold us back from reaching the most abundant life possible. When we release control, submit to the power of the Spirit within us, and let God be in our every moment, we can confidently pray, “Thy will be done,” knowing He will be faithful to bring us through.
There’s no limit to God’s power no matter what season we’re in. It’s been observed that the most fruitful and most joy-filled Christians are the ones who have been pruned the most! If the Vine has chosen a branch, then He has pledged Himself to supply the nourishment needed to bear fruit. If we willingly yield to the Vinedresser’s pruning, He will ensure the fulfillment of more fruit from the process. In that process of pruning, the Lord brings us closer to the likeness of Christ.
As Margaret F. Powers, author of “Footprints,” discovered, it was during the trials and testing that a second set of footprints disappeared. During those times, the Lord was still there, but instead of walking alongside her, He was carrying her. In our painful seasons of pruning, we aren’t hidden from the Lord. He knows when our hearts are broken, and His heart breaks with us. The skillful hand of the Vinedresser is at work in our lives, accomplishing something we can’t do for ourselves — something we could never imagine at the moment. We’re never alone because the Spirit dwells within us. He’s just waiting to supply His abundant resources when we ask for His help.
The unbelieving world is watching us. Are we diffusing the fragrance of Christ by displaying the fruit of the Spirit in our actions and attitudes among those who are being saved and those who have yet to ask for Christ’s gift of salvation?
Although my family is currently in a season of pruning, we are watching expectantly for the fruit He wants to produce. While we abide in Christ, keeping our focus on Him, He’s providing us with His inner joy and peace and empowering us to love one another. When being treated unkindly, our eyes have been opened to His compassionate perspective, and He’s helping us respond with kindness and goodness. He’s giving us His strength to hold back, returning anger with gentleness instead. Through God’s faithfulness, He’s enabling us to wait patiently while He works out His best plan for us. Even if some of our dreams have died, our all-sufficient God is able to provide all that is needed to accomplish what He’s planned. Things may not turn out the way we think they should, but we know He loves us and has His best in mind for us.
Reflecting on almost five decades since my personal encounter with Jesus, the times of pruning brought me closer to my Lord. In trusting Him to use His pruning shears on me, I enjoyed seeing the salvation of a loved one after 32 years of waiting on His perfect timing. When we better understand the wisdom of His pruning, we can look forward with expectancy to a subsequent season of fruitfulness that is greater than we could have ever asked for or imagined. To Him be all the glory! “For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 100:5)
Our God hears,
Barb Wibling