In this spring devotion on John 15, we will learn how to prune our hearts and stay close to Jesus.
I was recently pruning my hydrangeas that lay in the front of my house. It’s springtime in Tennessee, and with that comes beautiful flowers, as well as less than beautiful allergies! I looked at my hydrangeas and I thought back to how lovely they were last summer, compared to how unsightly and sad they looked now.
My hydrangeas are special to me, because I didn’t just pick these out as I perused an aisle at Home Depot. They weren’t just “there” when we bought our home. No, these hydrangeas came straight from my grandfather’s garden. After he passed away, my husband successfully transplanted the plant into the yard of our brand new, forever home.
I’m not a gardener by any means, but with these flowers, I take the time to care and nurture them. I prune them, water them daily in the summer months, and I admire their splendor.
But what if I didn’t?
What if I just remembered how they looked in my PopPop’s yard?
We all go through seasons. Seasons when we stay rooted and grounded in our faith. (Excuse the gardening puns!) Seasons in our Christian walk where we actively walk in God’s peace and where we read God’s word daily.
We pray, listen to worship music, and desire to grow closer to Christ.
James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”
These are the seasons I would describe as a lively and lovely garden. Where our Christian walk is like a surviving and thriving, glorious hydrangea.
But what happens if we don’t care for that plant?
A hydrangea does not stay bloomed and alive if we don’t prune it.
And in our Christian walk, we will not stay close to Christ if we don’t prune our hearts.
Let’s read how Christ uses a garden to describe faith.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that bears fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
One part of this passage resonates the most to me.
“If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.”
We must stay close to Christ.
We can do nothing without Him!
The Psalmist David writes, “Cleanse me and I will be clean, wash me and I will be white as snow.”
It’s easy to go through the motions in life. Life is busy and can overwhelm us at times.
But we have to take the time to clean our hearts.
We have to take the time to remain in Christ.
How do we stay in Christ? How do we “prune” our spirit?
- Stay Disciplined in Reading the Bible
- Have an Active Prayer Life
- Worship and Praise No Matter Your Circumstances
- Pray And Ask God to Show You What Areas of Your Life Need Pruning
We have to pull out the rotten things in our life in order for fresh growth to begin. If you are constantly gossiping about that certain coworker, or watching trashy tv shows in your spare time, you will not yield new life.
I want to encourage you today, to examine your heart. Ask the Lord to help you prune and cleanse your spirit, so that you might walk in His peace and His presence. He longs to bring beauty out of ashes, if only we would let him!
Share this daily devotional for women with your church small group!