Pruning (part 2) Practicing the Art

John 15:2 

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.

Yesterday, we considered learning how and when to prune. Today, let us reflect on putting this knowledge into practice. If learning through scripture, sermons, silent reflection and prayer gives us insight and sharpens our tools, then to bear fruit, we must put this knowledge into practice.

Practicing the art of pruning is as important as fertilizing a plant to create an abundant harvest. Words of prayer without action are not prayer at all. As hard as learning and study are, there is real work to be done in the garden. I may plan for a garden, but if I do not go out and plant the seeds, weed the bed, and water then the harvest will not come. 

A person who thinks about faith and scripture but takes no action will bear no fruit. A life lived in faith requires real work in the real world. To bear fruit takes hard labor, sweat, care, attention, and faith. But it also takes many things we don’t control. Rain and sunshine in the right proportion at the right time. We don’t get to choose when a chore needs to be done. Each season we work, we improve our ability to work in relationship with the seasons if we are aware and thoughtful. We have to be attentive, willing, and thoughtful in how we work. We have to put our study, prayer, and knowledge into practice. We must listen to the Spirit to bear fruit.

I must confess that the longer the season goes on and the hotter the weather, the less I am willing to work, weed, and water. By the end of the season many would be appalled by the condition of my garden. Like the vines that wither in the heat of late summer, I need to prune away the past and look forward to the next season God presents to me. In order to bear fruit in the future, I must accept and let go of what is no longer needed. I need to prune away what is no longer productive.

Equally difficult, everytime I start a new season I look at the work before me and I waver. I wonder if it is too much work:  Do I have the time? Is it worth it? I think about my lack of expertise. I think I should do things differently, but how?

Part of learning to prune is having the discipline to keep up the work in more difficult circumstances. When we work in our gardens, we must look to the lessons that the Lord has shared with us and apply them in the heat and drought, in exhaustion, in the end of a season. In fact, we may learn that to be productive in the future, the care in pruning away the old is one of the most important tasks we undertake.

Please pray with me today.

Lord, please help me to prune away the spent vines that no longer produce. Give me the insight to know what to let go as well as the strength to do the work. When I doubt and when I think it is too much or too hard, please show me that each small step leads to a beauty in this world that only you can share with us all. Amen.

This devotional was written by Jill Pope and read by Joey Smith.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

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First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.