Lately I've been switching up my morning quiet time a bit. Normally I read from The Word or read something from a devotional and then journal about it privately. This has always been an intentional practice to help set the tone for my day and get my heart in the right place. And while my new practice is just as intentional, its taken a different form. Recently I began doing a bit of art journaling where I focus on one verse or theme and really delve into what the Spirit is trying to communicate through that. Sometimes it's pretty simple, but more often then not, it requires quite a bit of reflection on my part. Reflection that often lasts throughout the day or even the week as I examine my life and the questions God has proposed through the Scripture.
My current Bible reading plan is simply reading through the Gospels. Each day I read 1 chapter of each Gospel and pick one "nugget" that I can focus on.
Today it was John 15:2 "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 more fruitful."
Most Christians who have been in The Word consistently have read this verse or listened to messages about this and the surrounding passages more then once in their lives. I am no different. But in this season where God has taken some things away, it was a bit more profound then I've found it to be before. As I've questioned God and been confused by His act of removing, I've never really stopped to question my self or examine what I might have done to influence this.
Our Lord wants us to grow and learn, and we obviously can't do that if we just plug along unchallenged and unchecked through life. We see example after example in Scripture of God removing external distractions or material things in order to influence a change spiritually. Look at Noah & the flood, Israel & the exile, the entire account of Job's trials... these are just a few examples of God taking things away or cutting things back so that we can grow, cleanse, and emerge stronger & more beautiful.
Left to my own devices I would surely ruin everything I come in contact with... much like Midas or like a government without checks and balances. What happens? Things get out of control. Overgrowth occurs and suffocates the good. Vines left un-pruned will stifle the growth of the fruit it is meant to bear. So it is with the human soul.
Pruning can be a painful process and a long one too. I'm experiencing that first hand and believe me, it is no fun. But in it He is making me aware of the things I have taken for granted, the things that I need to actively let go & surrender to Him. Sometimes it's too late and He has already taken them away... for my own good.
God is not always a God of action, but even in His perceived absence or silence, He is still at work. It's important to remember that even when He is pruning, His purpose is to create new life, to revive, and to renew. Don't let a season of pruning discourage you, instead let it encourage! It is God's process of removing things that threaten to envelope you giving you more room to bloom and bear fruit for His praise and honor.
Reflecting on John 15:2 and examining your own life, I want you to ask yourself 3 questions:
What is He cutting OFF? (removing completely)
What is He cutting BACK? (pruning)
What is BEARING FRUIT? (currently growing)
The answers may surprise you... or maybe they won't! But whatever your specific answers to these questions, I implore you to take them to feet of Jesus and let Him do with them what He will, trusting that His plan for you is good and right.
