Saturday, May 2, 2015

Prune me, Lord...

JOHN 15:1-8
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.
God of the Vineyard,
I grew up in the city,
none of this vine talk
made sense to me
until you brought me
to Elizabethtown.

I just thought
the vine's "bad" branches
got pruned off.
I just thought it was
a sort of cleansing
that you spoke of.

But here in Bladen County
as I drive by the vineyards,
the whole vine has been pruned.
Only the strong root
and main branch remain.

Those branches
that do not get pruned
year after year
bear no fruit.
The large clusters of grapes
the biggest, best, juiciest grapes
only come from branches
that have been pruned.

Lord,
used too I was okay
with the thought of
you pruning away my worst.
But know Lord,
I am learning
that even some of my best
must be pruned back
so that I can be fruitful for you.
That comes as a surprise.

I want to hold on to my best;
I want to show it off;
I want it to be seen and praised by others.

And here you come
shears in hand
to trim it back.
Humbling me;
inviting me
to watch and see
what fruit you can produce
through me this year.

Prune me, Lord,
so that I can bloom
and carry your best fruit
your fruit
fruit of your vine.
Amen.

No comments:

Post a Comment