PRUNED IN ORDER TO BEAR more fruit. Pruning is a horticultural and silvicultural practice involving the selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots. The practice entails targeted removal of diseased, damaged, dead, non-productive, structurally unsound, or otherwise unwanted tissue from crop and landscape plants.

God prunes His church and it is often quite painful. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John‬ ‭15:2‬ Yesterday during altar time I was crying out to the Lord about an old circumstance of pruning that was indeed painful. And He reminded me that He is faithful. He knows how to prune away the dead and unproductive branches and at the same time keep the good. Only the Master Vinedresser can do a thing like this.

In our humanity, we might accidentally cut off a good branch, but not the Creator. His hands are steady. He knows exactly what He’s doing. “then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,” II Peter‬ ‭2:9‬ ‭Nothing gets by His watchful eye and no one will go unpunished. He was privy to secret conversations about you and He was a secret listener as others slandered and gossiped about the brethren.

His eye was fixated on you as you remained silent and turned the other cheek. He prunes away evil influences and bad company so you can bear more good fruit. Never take matters into your own hand. Let the Lord of the Sabbath have His way for He knows what is good for you and the brethren. Trust His pruning abilities and commit yourself to His unshakable hand. The pain that pruning entails will bring forth an abundance of fruit and that with joy!#runyourrace

To Learn More About Pastor Crystal please visit the Leadership Page