“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭2‬ ‭KJV‬‬,https://bible.com/bible/1/jhn.15.2.KJV

What It Takes to Thrive

In both gardening and spiritual terms, planting and harvesting are exciting seasons. Planting is the start of an adventure, and harvesting is the product of hard work. It’s easy to celebrate new beginnings and hard-earned completions—but one thing that’s not as much fun? 

The pruning process.

Who wants to acknowledge what’s dead and unproductive in their lives? Who wants to trim back what’s already blooming—leaving you smaller, awkward, and feeling extra weak?

But pruning is exactly what we need to keep producing fruit.

“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 even more fruitful.”
John 15:2 NIV

Jesus mentions two separate actions in this process—cutting off what’s dead and pruning fruit.

Cutting out what’s dead makes sense. It’s extra weight, it’s unproductive, it’s blocking sunlight, and it’s stealing good energy from branches that could thrive. But without proper context,...