In the corner of my kitchen, where light breaks in through the window, hangs a beautiful and abundant golden pothos. For years, its vines have lengthened, wrapped, and steadily crawled along a nearby banister. Recently, we noticed some of the leaves were turning yellow. After some internet research, an adjustment to our watering schedule, and pruning of dead leaves, it is vibrant and healthy again. That process of pruning and cutting back what’s unfruitful is a necessary step for its continued growth.
Our lives mirror those vines of the golden pothos, just like branches on a grapevine. This is how Jesus described our relationship to him and the Father. In John 15, Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (1-2). If we belong on the vine, we should expect pruning.
But let’s be honest. We don’t always love the vinedresser’s sharp pruning shears. In the moment, pruning, removing, and cutting dead branches hurts. But the Father sees all the branches, and he knows what needs to be removed for maximum fruitfulness.
Are you being pruned right now? Pruning is uncomfortable in the moment, but it’s designed to help you grow. Here are 20 verses to help you think and pray rightly through the process of pruning.
20 Bible Verses About Pruning and Growth
- Leviticus 25:4 — “But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the LORD. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.”
- 1 Samuel 2:26 — “Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the LORD and also with man.”
- Psalm 92:12 — “The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.”
- Isaiah 27:2–3 — “In that day, ‘A pleasant vineyard, sing of it! I, the LORD, am its keeper; every moment I water it. Lest anyone punish it, I keep it night and day.'”
- Jeremiah 17:7–8 — “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
- Hosea 14:7 — “They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.”
- Matthew 5:29 — “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.”
- Luke 2:52 — “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”
- John 12:24–25 — “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
- John 15:2 — “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”
- 1 Corinthians 13:11 — “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.”
- Galatians 5:22–23 — “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
- Ephesians 4:13–16 — “Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
- Colossians 1:10 — “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;”
- Colossians 2:6–7 — “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
- 2 Thessalonians 1:3 — “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.”
- 1 Timothy 4:15 — “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.”
- Hebrews 12:6, 11 — “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
- 1 Peter 2:2 — “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—”
- 2 Peter 3:18 — “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
Pruning means you belong
Your attitude about your pruning might be as important as the pruning itself. When the vinedresser, in his infinite wisdom and knowledge, prunes branches in you that don’t bear fruit, don’t sulk and feel sorry for yourself. Consider it an invitation to draw nearer to the vine (to Jesus himself) rather than to pull away. It’s there, in the remaining in the vine, where new fruit will grow.
The good news is that if you’re being pruned, it means you belong as a son or daughter, and this is a very good thing (Heb 12:5-11). You’re not cut off like the false branches (John 15:2), but are being pruned to bear more fruit. And when it seems that the pruning hurts too much, remember that the vinedresser is never nearer to the vine than when he’s pruning it. So, lean in. Remain in him. Stay close and abide. This is where you’ll bear much fruit (John 15:8).
Cara
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