THE NARROW PATH TO RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD - DAY 104

by Rev. Robert John Cericola, Carroll, OH - EUA  

Meditation 104

The Pruning Process

John 15:1–2 (AMP) I AM the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. 2 Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.

Pruning a tree is not as easy as picking up a chain saw and cutting branches indiscriminately. You must be careful not to cut away too many branches in one season or you could weaken and damage the tree permanently. I remember growing up in my father’s home and watching him trim the willow tree in the front yard. That poor tree looked like a flag pole with a few branches hanging on it when he finished. 

Amazingly, that willow tree grew stronger and produced more branches and leaves the following summer than in any prior year. If you want to trim a tree and not harm it forget doing it yourself and hire a professional.

Just like a tree trimming professional knows how to trim a tree to make it stronger and more productive, our Father knows exactly what and how to trim our lives to make us more productive. The pruning process takes place as we follow the commandment to love that lights the Narrow Path.

Psalm 119:105 (NKJV) Your word is a lamp to my feet And, a light to my path. Proverbs 6:23 (NKJV) For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life.  From these two scriptures, we see the commandment is a lamp that lights the path. And when combined with 1 John 1:7-9 which addresses fellowship and cleansing, we get a picture of the pruning process. 1 John 1:7-9 (NKJV) But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Ending Thoughts

As we follow the Narrow Path in fellowship with Jesus we can expect the Holy Spirit to identify areas in our lives that need to be pruned. Are you producing fruit (the fruit of the Spirit?