In Need Of... Pruning.

My father and my grandfather both bought grape vines. They both live in the same town just a few blocks away from each other. They both planted their vines in their backyards in the same sunlight.
This was a few years ago.
My father's grape vine is producing grapes. My grandfather's is not (and in fact, is almost dead).
What is the difference? Caretaking.
My grandfather didn't trim the branches. They are weighed down and unable to support themselves.
My father's vine is nicely pruned, and the vine is able to support itself on the trellis.

Jesus said, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit. But He trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit." (John 15:1-2)
So, God takes out His pruning shears and sets to work on the branches. I am a branch. If I fail to produce fruit, i will be cut off... So what are my grapes? i can't grow fruit obviously, so what do i produce?
Galatians 5:22 -- But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance...
If i'm showing these qualities, then i am growing fruit! So God helps me out by trimming off the bad parts, the parts that will weigh down my branch and prevent me from growing fruit.

Food for thought... It is hard to tell the difference between weeds and flowers when there is nothing growing on them.


Feelin' like face #4.