“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.”
(John 15:1–2, NLT)
(John 15:1–2, NLT)
Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins wrote the Left Behind series of novels that explain what life might be like during the end times. They have explained the rapture, the two witnesses of Revelation, and the last days. They wrote of the coming beast and the revolt against God. The series was a big hit among Christians who were often puzzled by the enigmas in the book of Revelation.
To produce their books, LaHaye and Jenkins spent many hours at a computer pouring over manuscripts, studying Bible passages, and praying about how to put into words the mysteries of the end times. Often, they had to rework a chapter, rewrite paragraphs, and rethink their plots. In retrospect, Tim LaHaye wrote:
“I spent my days writing and rewriting, then printing out the pages on my printer. Then it went to the publisher, and the painful process of editing began. Someone with a red pen and a refined eye took my precious words and worked them over. They marked and cut and corrected and highlighted and suggested changes to make the manuscript stronger. At times the process can be brutal. Writers learn early to be thick-skinned; otherwise they’re likely to have a short career.
Good books don’t become good by accident. It takes a lot of hard work by a lot of people to make them worthy of shelf space. The better I do my job and the better they do theirs, the more likely people are to want the finished product. And the more God will use what we do to touch the lives of others. If I want to write books that make a difference, I must learn to accept this process. I have to allow others to cut and prune and shape the words I write until they are the best that they can be.
God works in our life that same way. Like a good editor, God takes all that we have and are and works us over. He shapes and molds us into something better. He marks and cuts and highlights and trims us into something much more useful and beautiful than we could ever have become without him.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener,” says Jesus. “He cuts off every branch that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more” (John 15:1–2).
The purpose of a good gardener is not to punish the vine with his shears but to make it the most fruitful plant it can be. He trims because all branches develop dead vines. He cuts because only by cutting can he make room for new growth. He prunes because pruning is critical to the amount of fruit a vine can bear. When he is finished, the vine is at its best. And when a vine is at its best, the gardener can use it to feed more people. The best we can do is to let the gardener work and wait for the results.” (Embracing Eternity, p. 366)
In the same way a book or sermon or manuscript is reworked, rewritten, examined, highlighted, and pared down, God will often do the same kind of work in your life. Like an editor, God will help you work through the pages of your life. Like a gardener, God will prune the branches of your life to bear fruit that befits HIS kingdom. Every person seeking God will have to go through this process. God knows how best to make you grow. God’s hand is needed for you to bear the best fruits of righteousness. Your job is not to fight the process. It is to let God have HIS way in pruning and shaping and editing your life.
“Parnell Bailey once visited an orange grove where an irrigation pump had broken down. The season was unusually dry and some of the trees were beginning to die for lack of water. The man giving the tour then took Bailey to his own orchard where irrigation was used sparingly. “These trees could go without rain for another 2 weeks,” he said. “You see, when they were young, I frequently kept water from them. This hardship caused them to send their roots deeper into the soil in search of moisture. Now mine are the deepest-rooted trees in the area. While others are being scorched by the sun, these are finding moisture at a greater depth.” (10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
The successful owner of that orange grove was convinced that by careful planning and cultivating of his orange trees, there would be a greater harvest. He knew that by overseeing the growth of the trees and watching over how much water they received, he could prepare those trees for a time of drought. His work paid off when the rains failed to come.
God is preparing you for coming days, even for your death. God is nurturing your faith, pushing you to learn, using His Holy Spirit to direct your path. All the while, God is pruning your life like a gardener prunes the trees or plants. God will withhold necessary things from you for a time to teach you patience and determination. God will give you obstacles to teach you how to overcome. God will send difficult people your way to teach you perseverance and humility and tact. God will introduce you to people who need to be loved. God will push you to learn obedience. In so many ways, God is pruning your existence, shaping your emotions, teaching you lessons, and blessing you with a deeper understanding of His ways. Don’t fight the process! You will find that with God’s pruning comes a greater faith, increased reverence, respect for the living, mercy for the wronged, and grace for the moment.
Can you feel God pruning and reshaping your life even now? Take note! It is just another way to see God’s hand upon your life!
To produce their books, LaHaye and Jenkins spent many hours at a computer pouring over manuscripts, studying Bible passages, and praying about how to put into words the mysteries of the end times. Often, they had to rework a chapter, rewrite paragraphs, and rethink their plots. In retrospect, Tim LaHaye wrote:
“I spent my days writing and rewriting, then printing out the pages on my printer. Then it went to the publisher, and the painful process of editing began. Someone with a red pen and a refined eye took my precious words and worked them over. They marked and cut and corrected and highlighted and suggested changes to make the manuscript stronger. At times the process can be brutal. Writers learn early to be thick-skinned; otherwise they’re likely to have a short career.
Good books don’t become good by accident. It takes a lot of hard work by a lot of people to make them worthy of shelf space. The better I do my job and the better they do theirs, the more likely people are to want the finished product. And the more God will use what we do to touch the lives of others. If I want to write books that make a difference, I must learn to accept this process. I have to allow others to cut and prune and shape the words I write until they are the best that they can be.
God works in our life that same way. Like a good editor, God takes all that we have and are and works us over. He shapes and molds us into something better. He marks and cuts and highlights and trims us into something much more useful and beautiful than we could ever have become without him.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener,” says Jesus. “He cuts off every branch that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more” (John 15:1–2).
The purpose of a good gardener is not to punish the vine with his shears but to make it the most fruitful plant it can be. He trims because all branches develop dead vines. He cuts because only by cutting can he make room for new growth. He prunes because pruning is critical to the amount of fruit a vine can bear. When he is finished, the vine is at its best. And when a vine is at its best, the gardener can use it to feed more people. The best we can do is to let the gardener work and wait for the results.” (Embracing Eternity, p. 366)
In the same way a book or sermon or manuscript is reworked, rewritten, examined, highlighted, and pared down, God will often do the same kind of work in your life. Like an editor, God will help you work through the pages of your life. Like a gardener, God will prune the branches of your life to bear fruit that befits HIS kingdom. Every person seeking God will have to go through this process. God knows how best to make you grow. God’s hand is needed for you to bear the best fruits of righteousness. Your job is not to fight the process. It is to let God have HIS way in pruning and shaping and editing your life.
“Parnell Bailey once visited an orange grove where an irrigation pump had broken down. The season was unusually dry and some of the trees were beginning to die for lack of water. The man giving the tour then took Bailey to his own orchard where irrigation was used sparingly. “These trees could go without rain for another 2 weeks,” he said. “You see, when they were young, I frequently kept water from them. This hardship caused them to send their roots deeper into the soil in search of moisture. Now mine are the deepest-rooted trees in the area. While others are being scorched by the sun, these are finding moisture at a greater depth.” (10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
The successful owner of that orange grove was convinced that by careful planning and cultivating of his orange trees, there would be a greater harvest. He knew that by overseeing the growth of the trees and watching over how much water they received, he could prepare those trees for a time of drought. His work paid off when the rains failed to come.
God is preparing you for coming days, even for your death. God is nurturing your faith, pushing you to learn, using His Holy Spirit to direct your path. All the while, God is pruning your life like a gardener prunes the trees or plants. God will withhold necessary things from you for a time to teach you patience and determination. God will give you obstacles to teach you how to overcome. God will send difficult people your way to teach you perseverance and humility and tact. God will introduce you to people who need to be loved. God will push you to learn obedience. In so many ways, God is pruning your existence, shaping your emotions, teaching you lessons, and blessing you with a deeper understanding of His ways. Don’t fight the process! You will find that with God’s pruning comes a greater faith, increased reverence, respect for the living, mercy for the wronged, and grace for the moment.
Can you feel God pruning and reshaping your life even now? Take note! It is just another way to see God’s hand upon your life!