The Gospel, according to John Chapter 15, clearly spells out how we can be fruitful in Jesus Christ. Christ is the vine, and we are the branches apart from Him (Christ) we cannot do anything. 

BEARING FRUIT AS A CHILD of God is the manifestation of Christ in us. The fruit of the believer is evident in our entire being; that is in how we live, move, and be. That is why Jesus said in the gospel of Matthew 7: 16 that “You will know them by their fruits.” 

The journey towards fruitfulness is possible when we yield to the workings of the Spirit of God in our lives. The Holy Spirit guides, teaches, comforts, helps, guards, and so many other amazing things in our lives so that our lives will reflect Christ, and God will be glorified in us. Here I want to highlight the pruning experience in our journey towards fruitfulness.

Pruning in the Believer’s life

Pruning is an agricultural terminology, which is the removal off dead or overgrown parts of the branches to aid fruitfulness or allow the plant to flourish. In the believer’s life, pruning takes the form of God as the vine-dresser who purifies and cleanses us from the things that dishonor God. When God prunes the believer, He unburdens the believer from things that weighs him or her down that includes:, things that will become stumbling blocks in our pursuance of holiness, traits that easily entangles us in sin and so on. Spiritual disciplines such as fasting, meditating on Scripture, Praying are means that God uses to cleanse us and empower us to be fruitful believers. Experiences in life that expose our selfishness, greed, anger, and all kinds of attitudes that do not bring glory to God allow us to repent and seek grace in Christ to pursue holiness. The experience of pruning is not pleasant for the flesh but very beneficial for the spirit to grow in Christ. When we allow God to prune us, our life will reflect that indeed Christ lives in us and in Him we will live move and have our being. Jesus Christ will be exalted in us, and all will see our good works and give glory to our Father in Heaven.

It is my prayer that we remain branches in the true vine, who is our Lord Jesus Christ, and as we faithfully abide in Him, we may bear fruits that will bring glory to God. May God strengthen us so that we will patiently yield to His pruning and allow the full work of the Spirit of God to made complete in us in Jesus’ name. Amen!