Pruning
by Tanya Person
As we come into this spring season, in our team intercession times God has been speaking to us about pruning. In the natural world, we know that plants need to be pruned in order to be healthy and to produce good fruit, and a good gardener knows which plants to prune and when.
In John 15, Jesus talks about Himself as the vine and says that we are the branches, and His Father is the gardener. The gardener cuts off branches that don't produce fruit, but those that do bear fruit are pruned so that they will produce even more.
How do we handle it when we feel God’s pruning in our lives? Do we try to hold on to things that He is telling us to release to Him? Often there are things that have been good for us for a season, but then that season ends, and we find God wanting to prune it from our lives. We may strive to hold on to it, because it was a good thing and it is familiar and comfortable. However, while we hold on to the things of the past, we are not able to grow and be fruitful in the new areas God is calling us into.
In today’s verse, that word translated as `discipline` is defined as training, education, nurture, and cultivation of mind and morals. Pruning is part of the process of the nurture and training of a plant. So, in this Scripture, we can see that, while it is painful, it does produce a harvest of righteousness and peace, when we allow ourselves to submit to the process of God's pruning.
I would like to encourage each of us, myself included, to pray the following prayer:
Tanya Person Tanya and her husband, Jim, were missionaries to Hungary for over 18 years. They have worked with Ellel since 2005. After serving in various positions with Ellel in Central and Eastern Europe, God led them back to the United States, where they are now serving with the Ellel USA team. They have a passion to see leaders restored, the church discipled and walking in God’s fullness of life and freedom, and for mentoring the existing and developing team. Tanya also enjoys crocheting and knitting in her free time and has written some children’s picture books.
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