Pruning for Eternal Greatness

We read John 15:2 and talk honestly about seasons when God seems to remove things instead of adding them, then we reframe that pain as pruning for greater fruit. We challenge the idea that busyness equals faithfulness and point back to abiding in Jesus as the only way real transformation grows. 
• John 15 vine and branches picture for spiritual growth 
• pruning as preparation for greater fruit rather than punishment 
• fruit versus activity and why God looks for character 
• Fruit of the Spirit as visible evidence of connection 
• God removing distractions, pride, habits, relationships, and even good things 
• abiding daily through prayer, Scripture, worship, obedience, and dependence 
• three reflection questions to discern what God is pruning 
If you liked it, if it touched you, please share some, please share it with someone today. 
You can visit our ministry website at www.forchristministry.com. 
And check out the Tranot website. 

Transcript

Welcome From The Farm

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Hey guys, it's B Robb, it's the Food for Thought Faith Cast, and we're coming at you live from the little tiny wagon home in the Yamasi, South Carolina. Yeah, Yamasi, South Carolina. It's about 45 miles from Buford. Um, 30 miles from Edistow, somewhere around there, I guess. It's a beautiful, nice little farm. They got chickens, goats, uh couple potbellied pigs, some donkeys, and some beautiful horses that actually work in downtown Charles Charleston. Pretty

John 15 And The Pruning Picture

SPEAKER_01 1:07

good stuff, but today we are going to look at uh John 15 2, and we're gonna call this one pruned for eternal greater fruit. In John 15 2, if you look in your Bibles, John 15 2, every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away, and every branch that bears fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. So, guys, just welcome to the podcast today. Um it's a beautiful morning. Guys, have you ever uh gone through a season where God just seemed to be removing things from your life instead of adding it? Might be a relationship, might be a ministry change, might be some kind of comfort that was taken away that you're normally used to your whole life, but transformation means deletion of certain things in your life. Um it's kind of the whole you can't serve two masters type thing, but um, I mean who knows? Maybe a relationship ended, um, something was taken away. In those moments, it's easy to wonder why is God doing this? Why is God cutting away things? But if you look at John 15, it gives us a really powerful picture in scripture. Um, Jesus describes himself as a vine, his followers as branches, and the father as the actual gardener. In John 15, 2, Jesus reveals an important truth. God's goal isn't merely for us to survive, his goal is for us to bear fruit. And sometimes the path is to greater fruitness. I mean, that involves pruning, right? So

Pruning Is Preparation Not Punishment

SPEAKER_01 3:26

let's back it up and read from John 15, 1 through 5. I am the true vine, the my father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away, and every branch that bears fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Guys, I want you to notice something pretty remarkable here. The branch being pruned is already bearing fruit. Because pruning is not punishment for any kind of failure, pruning is preparation for a greater outcome or a greater effectiveness. Guys, many believers mistakenly think that difficulty always means that God is mad or God is displeased or God is not happy. But that could be more opposite of the truth most of the time, because sometimes the struggle is evidence that God sees potential for even greater fruit in our life. Because you see, God looks for fruit, not just activity, he's looking for fruit, he's not looking for church attendance, he's not looking for just religious language, fruit is the visible evidence that life of God is flowing through us.

Fruit Of The Spirit Versus Busyness

SPEAKER_01 5:04

If you look at Scripture, fruit includes love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, all positive things, all positive frequencies. If you turn your Bibles to Galatians 5, 22 and 23, it says, It's possible to be busy but not be fruitful. It's possible to be active but not transformed. You see, Yeshua isn't asking how much did you do. He's asking how much of my character is being produced in you. Good reflection question. Right here. If someone spent a week with you, what fruit of the spirit would they notice the most? Would it be peace? Would it be patience? Or would they see stress, fear, anger, anxiety? You see, fruit often reveals what the vine is really connected to. Because pruning, pruning is just a sign of God's care. You see, a gardener prunes because he values the plant. He doesn't prune dead weeds, he prunes healthy vines. Why? Why? Why does he do that? Because healthy branches often grow things that consume energy without producing fruit. Guys, the gardener cuts away excess growth so life can flow towards what matters the most. It's all about frequency. Because spiritually, God does the exact same thing. Sometimes he's pruning away pride, sometimes he's pruning away distractions, bad habits, wrong relationships, comfort zones, worldly things. And guess what, guys? News flash. Sometimes he even removes good things that are keeping us from the best things. That's a food for thought, right? Sometimes he removes good things because those good things are keeping us from greater or the best things. You see, Hebrews 12 tells us that God disciples those who he loves. So if you look at it that way, pruning's not rejection. Pruning is the evidence of relationship. A branch disconnected from the vine, that's not the one pruned. Only branches connected to the vine receive the gardener's attention. An important truth, right here, don't interpret every hardship as God's absence. Sometimes is God's prunings. Sometimes hardship are the pruning shears. And that's just proof that God is at work. You know, sometimes that cut may hurt. But the purpose is actually growth. Greater fruit requires greater dependence. Notice what Jesus says later in verse five. Without me, you can do nothing. Sure, you can do worldly things that usually end up in destruction, self-destruction. You see, the secret of fruitfulness isn't trying harder, it's abiding deeper. Because

Abide Deeper Without Striving

SPEAKER_01 9:47

many believers exhaust themselves trying to manufacture spiritual fruit. But spiritual fruit is not manufactured. Fruit only grows naturally when the branch stays connected to the vine. The branch doesn't strain to produce grapes, it simply remains connected. So if you look at our roles, our role isn't to force any kind of transformation. Our role is to remain in Yeshua, in Jesus. How do we abide? How do we do that? We do it through prayer, we do it through scripture, we do it through worship, we do it through obedience, we do it through continual dependence on our creator, God. The closer we stay to the vine, the more fruit just naturally appears. It's amazing how that works.

Three Questions For Your Season

SPEAKER_01 10:54

So ask yourself three questions today. What might God be doing or pruning in my life right now? Is there something He's asking you to release? A habit? A mindset? A distraction? Second question, am I resisting the pruning process? Because a lot of times we cling to things that God is trying to remove. A lot of times we fight for what God is trying to cut away. I mean, what if surrender is the path to greater fruit? I think it might be, right? What are we talking about? Question number three. Am I abiding daily in Yeshua? Because fruit does not appear overnight. It's kind of like supplementation. You start taking the vitamins in 30 days, you feel better. You notice a change. Doesn't happen overnight. I think people are so wanting instant relief, and the only instant relief is getting down on your knees and praying to the God above who created you. Every day spent with him is growth, it's consistent connection. It's like your Wi-Fi being turned on all day long. And then when that thing doesn't work, you notice it, right? It needs to be the same way. You need to take your spiritual life in the same seriousness. Because John 15 2 reminds us of a powerful truth. God loves us way too much to leave us unchanged. He desires our fruit. And because he desires our fruit, he prunes us. Yes, the pruning may be uncomfortable, the season may be confusing, but the gardener knows exactly what he's doing. So, guys, if God is pruning something in your life today, trust his hands. Trust his working hands. The same hands that prune are the same hands that created you and care for you. The same Father who cuts away what is unnecessary is preparing you for greater fruit. Greater than you can ever imagine. So, guys, stay connected to divine. Trust the gardener, and watch God produce in your life.

Prayer For Trust And Fruitfulness

SPEAKER_01 14:10

Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father, thank you, Lord, for just being the gardener. Thank you for just being the pruner. Help us trust you when you prune. Help us trust you when you do things we don't understand. Lord, teach us to walk with Jesus every single day and produce fruit that brings glory to you. Lord, just give us faith in this difficult season and confidence that every cut that you make will produce fruit because we know this to be true. Lord, we love you. May our lives reflect that love. Your love, your peace, your joy, and your goodness. It's in Yeshua's holy heavenly name. We pray in the blood of Christ. Amen and hallelujah. Well,

Share The Show And Next Steps

SPEAKER_01 15:07

guys, we thank you for tuning in. Um, if you liked it, if it touched you, please share some, please share it with someone today. My name is B. Rob. This is the Food for Thought Faith Cast. You can visit our ministry website at www.forchristministry.com. And check out the Trenot website. We're getting into peptides starting in July. So now would be a good time to come on as an owner for like 250 bucks. Where are you gonna buy a business for that? And if this thing goes viral with the peptides, you might be a millionaire within a year. You never know. There's a reason I'm saying this, there's a reason you're listening. God might be pruning you for something better. God might be telling you you need to get healthy. You never know what the reason might be. Stay in prayer, stay in the word. I love you. God loves you. And if you don't have a relationship with Christ today, you better get right. Word.