I have about 30 fruit trees, primarily apples, six pears, and a few cherry trees. Today, I started pruning them with the help of my grandson, Josiah. He is tall, and I don’t get on ladders anymore, so he does most of it. I got a cordless, electric set of pruning shears for Christmas, so my part is even easier. I watched a YouTube video on how to prune an apple tree, so I am an expert now. We get a lot of apples and pears in the Fall, so the work is worth it. I have memorized John chapter 15; the first two verses are fascinating and perplexing at the same time.
John 15:1-2 “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 bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”
So, what does it mean to be taken away? What does it mean to be pruned? One obvious meaning is that God wants me to bear fruit and more fruit, always more. A few verses later, in verse 8, he says, “This glorifies My Father, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” My Duke translation says it this way, “God wants me to bear fruit, and because I am His disciple, He will sovereignly work in the details and circumstances in my life and my heart so that I continue to grow and bear more and more fruit for His glory.” Every morning in my morning prayer of commitment, I say, “Lord, I am Your disciple by commitment, so I know that You will do in me, through me, and around me what is necessary for me to bear much fruit. I want that Lord, I want to bear fruit, and I want to glorify You.”