God Prunes Us to Make Us Fruitful

This is the same vine in the previous post. It is in the backyard of Mrs. M. J. Poblete in California.

Pruned and cut underneath, the vine is full of fruit for the gardener to see.

I have many bromeliad plants and succulent/cactus family plants. But these are ornamental plants. They are admired for their leaves.

But the grapevine is not an ornamental plant. It is planted by its gardener to bear fruit, not leaves.

The Lord Jesus used the grapevine analogy to describe our relationship with Him. He wants fruit from us. But apart from Him we cannot bear fruit. Apart from Him we cannot be like Him. Apart from Him we cannot have His life flowing in us. Apart from Jesus, we will just be like dried branches detached from the vine, sticking plastic fruit onto our dried branches to make ourselves look fruitful. But God the gardener knows what is real fruit. He knows our hearts. He knows our motives.

Do you want fruit? Do you want fruit to show God?

Righteousness is from God, not from ourselves. And it is a righteousness by faith in Jesus. He gave Himself on the cross that His blood may cover our sins. And He rose again that we may live a new life in Christ- as a new creation, no longer a slave to sin but set free from sin because of Christ.

To receive God's free gift of righteousness, repent- meaning to acknowledge you have sinned against God AND turn away from sin 180 degrees- and believe in the Lord Jesus- meaning to commit yourself to Jesus making Him THE Lord of your life in EVERYTHING and surrendering your life to Him out of love because He loved you first and gave His life for you.

Only through the blood of Jesus can you be reconciled to God. He redeemed you from the pawnshop of sin and death where you had pawned yourself---with His own blood as the ransom.



Like a rose trampled on the ground

He took the fall

And thought of YOU

above all.