Today's readings are Proverbs 14.1-7 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Prov.+14.1-27 ) and John 15.1-11 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=John+15.1-11 ).
Jesus the carpenter makes some interesting agrarian statements. Some of them are quite counter-intuitive, such as his parable of the weeds, where the weeds should be allowed to grow alongside the grain. Some of them, however, are completely in synch with normal agricultural practice, and this is one of them. When caring for plants, nearly any kind of plant, regular trimming is one of the more important ways of shaping the plant and encouraging its growth. I have a bush in my yard which has a thin place in it for some reason. Yesterday (really, I did this) I trimmed that bush and particularly paid attention to the areas around the thin place, trimming the branches near it even if they weren't very long. Those branches will become more bushy and the little trimming will stimulate their growth. The thin place should fill in.
God the vine-dresser prunes our branches. Unproductive habits, relationships we should not develop, desires we have and which don't bring him honor, all are subject to the pruning of God. Unlike the plants, we are quite aware of God's pruning and don't like it. We shy away from God's glorious activity in our lives. This ought not to be. God is doing it for our good and for his glory. Let us rather embrace God's good work in our lives, knowing that he will bring much fruit out of it.
Good post!
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