SPIRITUAL PRUNING

John 15:1-8
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Jesus, the True Vine

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.


During the days of the early church, most families raised their own food. Pruning is a gardening or farming process that everyone would understand. When Jesus spoke to them about pruning as applied to their spiritual lives, it was a concept which they could easily grasp.

The grapevines had major branches which could produce large bunches of grapes. It also grew little, weak branches which only drained nourishment away from the major branches. They produced no good fruit. The gardener would inspect his vines and prune those branches which produced little fruit. This allowed the good branches to produce more fruit.

In our faith lives, there are things which distract us from the mission God has given us. Jesus says we need to prune those distractions. These things may be the busy activities that invades our to-do lists. They may be the sins that cause us to fall. Whatever gets us off focus on the mission needs to be pruned. The fruit … lives brought into the Kingdom of God … is too important, too precious to let anything draw us away from the mission.

Be pruned … stay on mission … produce much fruit!