Pruning for a Purpose

Do you ever ask yourself the question, why does God bring hard things into my life? Why does He put trials and tribulations in my path? What’s the purpose?

As I think about these questions, they remind me of vines after they've been pruned. I used to have a friend who lived in Northeast, Pennsylvania where the Welch’s manufacturing plant produced 29 million cases a year of jams and jellies and 17 million gallons of different juices. Production like that only comes from unbelievably fruitful growing seasons. In fact, in an average season, they would harvest over 125,000 tons of concord grapes. So just picture vines absolutely overflowing with grapes. And yet, in the off-season, they would prune them back to nothing. Why? So that they could bear even more fruit.

The same is true in our lives. Jesus says it this way in John 15, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit is taken away, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes, that it bear more fruit.” So why does God bring trials and tribulations into your life, which for the moment are very painful? So that in the end, they may yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness in your life. He prunes you for your own good so that you may bear more fruit for His glory.

Something to think about from the Proclamation point of view.