“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” (Jo 15:2).
Beloved, God is very serious about our fruitfulness or lack of it. His position on this is quite unambiguous, with no shades of grey in between! Firstly, being in Christ is not enough security on its own. Our residence in Him must be accompanied by results (fruit). Otherwise we’ll forfeit our place in Him. This goes to show that God is not interested in nominal piety. There’s no room for mere placeholders. Every saint must be productive. Secondly, He states clearly that being modestly fruitful is not good enough for God. He’s only satisfied when we are abundantly fruitful. Admittedly, pruning is painful for the branch that undergoes the process, but the glory outweighs the pain! Brethren, we mustn’t complain when the Word challenges our assumptions and rattles our pride! That’s spiritual pruning in action. Let’s embrace the discomfort that anointed preaching and teaching of the Word brings among us. Let’s welcome the sense of loss stemming from the stuff God nips and snaps off our lives. For He is gearing us for more and more spiritual productivity. It’s worth it. Hallelujah!
Pastor Josh