Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. John 15:2
Margie and I have been working in our garden. This year we have added muscadines. There is a lot of prep that goes into adding the muscadines to our garden. We must prepare the holes for planting. We need to place poles at each end of our vine runs, adding wire for the vines to run along. We need to train and secure the vines to the wires – and then once the vines begin to grow, we have to spend time pruning the vines so we get maximum growth.
Pruning is the process of trimming off unwanted shoots that can rob the branches of the nourishment they receive from the vine. I’ve learned that in growing muscadines, these are called sucker shoots. These sucker shoots, like their name suggests, suck away the life-giving sap that the branches need to produce the best fruit. According to the video Margie and I watched, they must be pinched off about every 12 days, or so.
As followers of Jesus, we also need to be pruned. For us, however, sometimes the pruning process in our lives can be painful. I believe that God knows that, but like the great Gardener He is, He weighs the long-term benefit against the short-term discomfort we may go through. Like the muscadine vine, God wants us to bear the best fruit.