God has an operation, if I can call it that, which we don't talk about much as believers but it is actual, active and aggressive at times. You need to know about it. Jesus called it "pruning" and it is used by God to further the fruitfulness of our lives.
"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 15:2).
If you are a child of God and you are resistant to the will of God, then prepare yourself. If you are continuing in areas of moral inconsistency and impurity, then watch yourself. If you are stubbornly ignoring needed changes in attitudes, then ready yourself. If you are lazily delaying disciplined obedience in daily living, then brace yourself.
When a child of the living God is defiant and disobedient, it is a dangerous thing! Here's why: "The Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son" (Hebrews 12:6). This is another way of saying what Jesus was saying and it means you are making a pruning appointment with God.
There's another thing you need to know on this subject. You may feel that you are not consciously ignoring, resisting, or defying God. Nevertheless, you are somehow in a season of stunted spiritual growth. You don't really know why-but it has happened. There was a time, perhaps not too long ago, when you were more on fire for God, alive in your worship experience, hungry in your Bible study, energetic in your service, loving in your relationships, and cheerful in your spirit. Something's gone wrong-you're just not sure why. But the thing is-God knows how to change all that. It is with His pruning shears.
How does pruning take place? God will use problems, pressures, people...
really anything he predetermines to perform this work in our lives. He is God and He's in charge. But rest assured that whatever He chooses, He uses with loving intent. His purpose is the fulfillment of fruitfulness in our lives.
God uses His pruning shears in life's experience when He-
- Teaches us patience by frustrating circumstances.
- Teaches us peace by threatening situations.
- Teaches us moral purity by eating the bitter fruit of the consequences of moral impurity.
- Teaches us self-control and inner strength through sickness and pain.
- Teaches us discipline through failure.
- Teaches us forgiveness by our own need to be forgiven.
- Teaches us kindness by placing us in situations where we find ourselves in need of kindness.
- Teaches us humility by humiliating circumstances in life.
- Teaches us honesty and integrity through the pain of public exposure.
- Teaches us faith by knocking the props out from under us.
- Teaches us joy through sorrowful experiences.
God's purpose of fruitfulness is serious business and calls for our faithfulness. It is far better in the Christian life when we voluntarily rid ourselves of moral impurity and spiritual inconsistency rather than subject ourselves to the Father's pruning activity. This we can do by God's grace in the normal course of growth through the daily spiritual disciplines and by giving due diligence to obedience.
May God produce in us the fruit of His righteousness!
Blessings,
Pastor Ron