Fruit, fruit, and more fruit

Today's blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:2)

Are you going through some difficulties or hardships in your life?  Are you going through something painful at the moment?

Maybe God is asking you to give up an area of your life that you don’t want to let go of, but deep down you know its holding you back from being all that God wants you to be.

Or, instead of asking, maybe God is tearing something away from you, even painfully.

Maybe you are in a season of your life where you are bearing much fruit for the Kingdom of God and you are questioning why God is not protecting you from these difficulties.  After all, if God is moving in your life, shouldn’t you be exempt from them?

Whatever the situation, hang in there because you might be exactly where God wants you, in the grip of His pruning shears.  And when God gets out the pruning shears, He has one goal in mind – to make you more fruitful.

The reason trees or bushes are pruned is to remove those branches that are not bearing fruit so the nutrients can flow to those areas of the tree that are fruitful.

God may be strategically changing or removing areas of your life that are not fruitful so that other areas of your life will flourish.

Like any wise gardener, God wants you to continually bear more fruit and He won’t be satisfied until all your branches are full.  His goal is for you to be full of His fruit - love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.