Feel like a prune?
In several different ways this week the Lord has gotten my attention about the subject of pruning. Now, I am from Arkansas, but I don't know much about farming or even gardening, because, even for Arkansas, I was a city boy. (Jonesboro is home to the 2nd largest university in the state!)
At any rate, read this and you'll get the gist of it - pruning is a good thing in Scripture (and in farming), because it enables greater fruitfulness. And it's necessary for us to continue bearing fruit, because otherwise we get bloated and stagnant.
What is not obvious is that pruning involves cutting back something that is still bearing some fruit - it's not just 'dead wood' or 'dead weight'; it's cutting the good in order to make room for the best. And that's not easy to discern.
How about you and your walk - have you ever known a spiritual habit or activity that started out quite well, but eventually became a routine that would have kept you from receiving more? I'd like to hear from some of you, so we can learn from each other.
This much I know: I want to be fruitful! And I don't ever want to 'die on the vine' - I want my walk and my relationship to be ever-growing and ever-fresh.
At any rate, read this and you'll get the gist of it - pruning is a good thing in Scripture (and in farming), because it enables greater fruitfulness. And it's necessary for us to continue bearing fruit, because otherwise we get bloated and stagnant.
What is not obvious is that pruning involves cutting back something that is still bearing some fruit - it's not just 'dead wood' or 'dead weight'; it's cutting the good in order to make room for the best. And that's not easy to discern.
How about you and your walk - have you ever known a spiritual habit or activity that started out quite well, but eventually became a routine that would have kept you from receiving more? I'd like to hear from some of you, so we can learn from each other.
This much I know: I want to be fruitful! And I don't ever want to 'die on the vine' - I want my walk and my relationship to be ever-growing and ever-fresh.
posted by Pastor Jerry McQuay at 8:54 AM
1 Comments:
Pastor J: I remember when a couple came to Ken and I and said that they were leaving our small group to lead a group. Now ordinarily that would be great news, but this couple had become our great friends and I knew we would miss their insight, their wisdom and their giving spirit. But now looking back, I understand that God was moving them to their next and at the same time making room for another couple to grow -- us.
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