Ouch!

 Pruning is a needful process that encourages a plant's growth. It is necessary to remove that which hinders growth and promotes healthy plants to be more fruitful. However, plants cannot self-prune; they are dependent upon their caretakers.

God planted us on this earth for fellowship with Him and to bring glory to His great name. As we go about doing our Father's work, we sometimes grow weary and neglect to care for our "plant." Wrong attitudes and actions develop faded and spent results along the way. Unlike a plant, people can self-prune, but we often do so sparingly to avoid the agony of severing a piece we long to keep. When God prunes, He knows exactly where and how much to cut back for healthy growth to sprout. His cuts encourage fruitfulness: ". . . And every branch that bringeth forth good fruit He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit" (John 15:2).

Although the pruning process seems hurtful, it promotes a healthy, fruitful plant that is pleasant to the eye. God not only wants you to bear fruit for His kingdom but much fruit.