Godly Pruning

Whatever God takes, be still thankful for what He leaves.

John Flavel

As far back as I can remember I used to watch my Mamaw and my mother dealing with flowers. My mamaw had a rose bush at each end of her porch and I can almost smell those roses now. She worked in her flowers and my mother still does. They would clip off dead portions and the plants would the grow larger and healthier. Those roses would sometimes look weak and withered, but mamaw would put her gloves on and start pruning them and cleaning up the mess on them and what was left was beautiful to everyone.

I’m not a flower person but like those flowers I can now see pruning that has been done on me. I won’t go into detail out of fear that some may see it as boasting about myself. But I have lost a great deal but gained a lot.

I’m not the type to see the devil in everything that appears to be bad that happens in my life. I know for a fact that God prunes His children. Often when this pruning takes place we lose things we hold close. Sometimes it’s possessions, habits, careers, and people. It can seem like the world is crashing down but if we are believers in Jesus, we can and should look at what’s been left and be thankful to God.

When the hand of God begins to prune it is a way to further conform us and bring us closer. It’s also a way to break us so we can see our desperate need for Him and help us to rely less on ourselves and more on Him and His promises. Romans 8:29 tells us “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son”. For me this has often hurt but later brought great joy after I was freed from the things God pruned from my life.

From the beginning point of our salvation God takes away things and gives and leaves others. He takes the righteousness of Christ His Son and places it on us   2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” And He removes our heart of stone and gives us a heart of flesh Ezekiel 36:26 “And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh”.

During the process of sanctification, God will remove a great deal in our lives. We will see people fall away from us and others come into our lives. We will have some bad habits removed and replaced with other more godly habits. Certain sins that once controlled us will become less controlling. Our affections and desires will slowly change and we will begin to love the things God loves and hate the things God hates.

If you are like me you will find yourself as a different person. Much of the things I once loved have been taken and what’s left behind stands a reminder that it is in Christ that my hope rests, not in the things of the world. All I need can be found in Christ and He gives me even more.

Take notice of the pruning God is doing and has done in your life. Examine where you are compared to where you were and be thankful for both what’s been taken and what’s been left. We must be willing to lose it all for the sake of Christ. This doesn’t mean we will, but it does mean we should hold to His and be willing to let go of everything else.