“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that is will be even more fruitful.” -John 15:2 (NIV)
Gardening is really not my strongest point.
I have cactus that passed away, on my watch,to where-ever plants ,under my care ,pass away and I wonder, when I go to Heaven one day, if gardening might be one of those things that our Heavenly Father may decide is my weakest point and direct everyone there to keep me away from?
Have you ever felt like anything you’ve touched seem to falter under your watch?
Friendships, projects, plants?
Have you thought that maybe it’s not so much as they are faltering under your care, but that our Heavenly Father, in His infinite wisdom, saw something that you have yet to know or has yet come to pass, and is constantly pushing you on to something bigger and better that He needs you at, or maybe just sees something that maybe hindering your growth in and through Christ?
Okay…that doesn’t explain the plants part.
Maybe it’s just saving grace that He wants to protect the plants so there’s not really a good go around on that one.
That’s okay though. You may not be the greatest gardener out in the green garden, but rather you know it or not, you are the greatest gardener in God’s world and He needs you to serve Him as He plants seeds here and there.
However, being the Master Gardener that He is, He can quickly spot the areas in our lives that.just.not.are.right.for.us and as hard as it is for us to lose friendships that seem to no longer bear fruit for us, to no longer feel like you are growing in that church that was really great a year ago, or He doesn’t need you working at that job anymore and it’s just reached that point that it doesn’t bear fruit for you that in turn bear testimony to Him.
There are some things he can’t leave to us. He’s the professional. We’re not. Which is why:WE need HIM.
Okay.
Easier said then done.
I have had quite a few dead or dying branches in my life and there were quite a few that I didn’t want to let go or still don’t want to let go of, but God had other plans for me.
Good thing He doesn’t ask for my opinion of what I usually think on some things because I already know I’m imperfect to begin with and that’s why I have needed Him before, need Him now and always will need Him no matter where or what I am.
If He depended on what I had to thought, my whole branches would be dead or dying; However God is bigger and better than that and He knows I’m human, I make mistakes, I excel at making mistakes that I sometimes wonder if that was what I’m here for, to just make mistakes all the time.
Alright; That’s not the case, or at least I hope so, but I know that there are a lot of times when I feel down and about that I have to remember….I may make mistakes, infrequently or if you ask some people, frequently, but we serve a perfect Father.
There are no mistakes in His design and there never will be a mistake in His design. It’s easy to try and tell ourselves that but we then have to remember, who made the first choice to make the mistake, Him or us?
We usually do and God, God is so perfect in that He swoops right in (though maybe not that dramatically) and turns what may seem like a bad situation and uses it for HIS good.
How many times when we have that “uh-oh” moment and find ourselves later turning to Him, or because of Him, using that moment to share as testimony to someone else, who in turn, turns to Him.
Is that a mistake?
Nope.
That’s called God’s perfection.
So what about all those dead branches again?
Who among us has a tree that is flourishing, green and just plush with leaves but there are dead branches hanging about obscurring the view of the tree or maybe present a hazard to ourselves or to others, if not now, then definetely later?
Some of us do it ourselves but to really get the job done right and safely, we leave it to the professionals. Same with God. We can’t do this ourselves, we need Him though sometimes we may be to shy or prideful to say so, ultimately, He is the ONLY one who can save us.
Not us.
No one outside of us.
No one in the world.
Only Him.
During the hurricane, one thing that was commonplace around here, was people not only preparing their homes but pruning their trees of potential hazards or if they had time, cutting down old trees that they knew could fall and either damage their property or potentially hurt someone.
That’s what God does with our lives….
If there is something there that is going to keep us from growing, keep us from seeing Him, will be a hazard to us or to others or can be use, like dead branches are use to build a fire, to lead someone to Christ, HE, is going to personal go, “looking a shabby there “fill in your name” today,let me give you a “trim”.
And trimming He does, till there is nothing that will hinder our growth in and through Christ.
Good thing God doesn’t leave that up to me. That’s like me skipping the hairdresser and trying to cut my own hair. I can’t cut straight so imagine if I try to cut my own hair. Uhm…yep.
If you haven’t had a chance to really know Him or would like to have a personal relationship with Him, I invite you to look Him up. He is in the best book in the world. that is more informative than the local yellow pages. Take a look and find out for yourself.
Want to know about the best thing about this professional?
He is on call 24/7 and the price has already been paid. All you have to do is accept, believe and confess.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
1 Corinthians 3:11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
John 3:16-18, 36 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. [18] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son…. [36] Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.
Acts 16:30-31, KJV …Sirs, what must I do to be saved? [31] And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
It’s easier said than done with the rise in both gas prices, groceries and just about everything else to not panic….yet, but we have found as we’ve had to cut back on a lot of the errands and even just “luxuries” that we were use to like, eating out once a week and just where we traveled too, of what was really important and what were just wants that fill up empty time slots and empty souls.
Now, please set your timer for 10 minutes and soak in His word. Come join 10 Minute Tuesdays!
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