Christians sometimes speak of pruning. According to Websters, to prune is to cut off or cut back parts of for better shape or more fruitful growth. Now pruning has a biblical basis. In John 15, Jesus speaks of being a vine and says:
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit." John 15: 1,2
Right away we see two types of pruning. The first is the branches that bear no fruit. These are the non-believers. They are removed. But Jesus also promises that those branches that bear fruit (believers) will be pruned so that we may bear more fruit.
But how does God prune the life of a believer? I believe there are two main ways. The first is when we recognize the sin in our life, turn it over to God, and, to some extent, kill that part of our life off before God prunes it off. In other words, We create the deadwood to be pruned.
This is preferable to the other type of pruning because when God prunes the deadwood out of our life, it is a far less painful event than when He prunes that which still has our lifeblood flowing through it. . Sin hinders our relationship with God, and He is desirous of a perfect relation with us. It is possible to be doing something that is so ingrained as a part of our life that we do not realize it is sin. For a great example, let's look at Paul.
In Acts, 7, Paul (still known as Saul) is a zealous Jew, looking to root what he sees as the false religion of Christianity. During Stephen's stoning, Saul watched the coats of the stoners, then started a full court press against the Christians.
Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Acts 9:1,2
Saul was doing what he believed to be right. He knew the law, but he didn't understand that Christ was the Messiah and had fulfilled it. God stepped into Saul's life to do a little pruning...
Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do."
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Acts 9:3-9
Paul had a big time pruning. God entered into his life and pruned his desire to murder the disciples of the Lord, but God never leaves us without help here on earth. In Paul's case it was Ananias. God tells Ananias to go and seek Saul of Tarsus. And, like a number of the people who encounter God's direct orders in the Bible, Ananias says (and I paraphrase):
Are you Crazy? (Acts 9:13,14)
But Ananias trusts God and goes to Paul, prays with him, and teaches him about Jesus. Then Paul starts preaching in the Synagogues and his message is Jesus. What an immediate effect of God's pruning!
When we have sin that we do not wish to acknowledge, it holds us back from what we can do for God. We shouldn't, however, fear the pruning process. It makes sense to examine our lives and find those areas where God might prune so that we can make them deadwood and make the pruning less painful, but remember this:
a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. Isaiah 42:3
Just my random musings.
May the Lord bless you and fill you with His joy,
Josef