“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.”

If you are a Christian, if you have a faith in Jesus, then I can guarantee that God is pruning you. How is God pruning you? It is very healthy to regularly look at your life and assess how God is pruning you.

The unfortunate part of pruning is that it is usually somewhat painful. God is using people and situations to smooth out your rough edges and make you better able to be a productive member of the family. It is no fun to be pruned, but it is a constant reality.

To use good technical seminarian words, God is sanctifying us; He is leading us toward perfection. None of us are going to reach perfection anytime soon, but it is the end point.

Sin is not usually something we want to give up. It is usually something that gives us some feeling of pleasure, security, comfort, etc. But it is a false feeling. Giving up our crutches and fully relying on God is difficult.

How is God pruning you? What can you do to help the gardener prune you?