John 15:1-17
Jesus on Pruning Branches
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Can our faith be pruned and improved, and is it good for us to reflect on our faith?...Does thinking about Jesus, and reading His Word help us and make us more fruitful?...Jesus wants us to be more fruitful and to love each other...
When we lose patience and self control, and have other negative things take over in our lives, like sin -we may need pruning as the trees around us need pruning...When you prune your trees it helps the tree...The tree will do better and they will grow stronger and flourish...The tree grows even more fruitful...This strength and new growth is very useful to the tree, just as faith and love are very useful to us and our souls...
No one branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine...Apart from the tree the one branch can do nothing, it withers away...The tree needs the fellowship of his other branches, to produce more fruit...Jesus asks us to go and bear fruit, to be more fruitful, and to be in fellowship with one another -and to love each other...
In this pruning our faith teaching by Jesus, it seems to me that sometimes our faith may become static, and we are to prune it up, to make it better, to make it stronger...