Living in the Vine 6 

Cutting And Pruning

Probably still scarred by the memory of my mother’s plastic grapes, I once had a dream of growing my own real ones, so I planted a single vine in the deep rich soil of my large 30-foot polytunnel.

Jack and the Beanstalk

Once spring came and the plant began to grow, it was a bit like Jack’s beanstalk because it just did not stop!

It threw out branches to the left and right and these grew and had to be trained along the ceiling and throughout the whole long length of the massive tunnel. I mistakenly thought that this vigorous abundance of growth would ultimately bring more fruit. I could not have been more wrong.

An excess of branches does not mean more fruit. In the whole massive plant, imagine my disappointment that there was only one tiny clump of grapes. And even these failed to grow and mature through my lack of good husbandry; they just dried up like raisins and eventually dropped off!

The truth is, most of these branches needed to be cut off, allowing just a small number to remain and be trained. The reason for this is that the excess of growth was taking all the vital sap needed by the grape clusters to grow and mature into good strong fruit.

Pruning

This analogy suggests that there may well be something coming from within us that needs to be cut back. It is not external, like weeds or pests, but something that is produced and grown from our inner lives.

The truth is, most of these branches needed to be cut off, allowing just a small number to remain and be trained. 

This might refer to old ways of negative or worldly thinking and patterns of sinful behaviour that are not yet given up and surrendered to the Spirit’s control. But it can also be a picture of the busyness of our Christian activity, some of which may bear fruit, but much of which, without wise pruning, just keeps us busy, uses up all our ‘sap’ and (if we are honest) rarely bears good fruit that will last.

Following the sudden death of my husband in 2023 and my inability to stop all activity and give myself time and space to heal, I was eventually, after 18 months, brought to the end of myself and I just had to stop.

Father God began to painfully cut away my grief, trauma, loneliness and my primary coping mechanism of over-busyness and activity (thankfully not all of it fruitless).

Bearing fruit

Having emerged from that short but tender season, I was pared back very close to the ‘root,’ which means His ‘sap’ in me can now be wholly concentrated into bearing fruit.

Most noticeably, that fruit is inward, because I am profoundly different; more conscious of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and learning what it means to allow Him to live His life in me; to learn what it means to abide in Him and to live out of that place of the secure rest and the peace His presence brings.

Additional reading: Proverbs 20:9; Isaiah 32:17.

 ... learn what it means to abide in Him and to live out of that place of the secure rest and the peace His presence brings.

Prayer Time

Think about your life.

• What are the ‘branches’ that grow out of control in you?
• Are they related to thoughts and repeating sinful patterns or to busyness and activity?
• Ask Father to show you what steps to take next.

Give a portion of your time today to sitting silently. Invite the Holy Spirit to take control of those things you have just identified.

Give Him permission to do in you what needs to be done for you to be the person He created you to be for Him. Allow His peace to flow over you.

Turn your eyes to Jesus and let praise begin to flow.