Pruning To Bear Much Fruit

In the past couple of posts, I’ve been sharing spiritual lessons from my garden.  Today, we’re going to learn about pruning so that we can bear more fruit.  

One of the exciting parts of a garden is to watch the plants grow bigger and bigger.  Then, the flowers form, and the anticipation of the fruit increases.  

We’ve been enjoying the produce from several of my plants for weeks now, but there’s a few of the tomato plants that have put on flowers without producing any fruit.  These plants are growing right-side up, and I’ve dealt with the pests; so what is going on?

Being new to gardening in South Texas, there are a number of lessons I’m learning.  In Colorado, the growing season is about four months.  Once a plant starts producing fruit, it generally keeps going until the first frost.  Whereas down here, the growing season is about nine to ten months long.  

Really, there are about three growing seasons each year, with the middle season being the hot summer months.  There are several plants that will flourish in the spring and fall, but just can’t handle the summer heat.  

Because of the different growing seasons, there are different types of tomato plants.  In Colorado, I grew tomato plants that got to be about four feet tall, and then produced their fruit through the rest of the season.  These are known as “determinate” tomato plants.  They grow to a determined size and don’t require much pruning.

This year, I have some tomato plants that are known as “indeterminate” type plants.  They grow, and grow, and keep growing indefinitely.  In fact, they like to put out new branches so much that their energy is spent growing instead of bearing fruit, unless they are pruned.

Designed to Grow and Bear Fruit

The purpose of a tomato plant is not to just get bigger and bigger, but to grow and bear fruit.  The fruit is the most important part of the plant’s existence.  My plants were growing some great leaves, but missing the fruit.

Unlike the determinate tomato plants that I grew in Colorado, these plants need to be pruned.  Without pruning, they put all of their energy and nutrients into growing bigger instead of bearing fruit.  Also, unpruned plants are more susceptible to disease and likely to infect others around them.  

As children of God, we are designed to grow and bear fruit.  Yes, we should be growing in our knowledge of the Lord and Scripture, but without fruit, we are not fulfilling our purpose in the Kingdom.  We need to ask ourselves, “Am I growing great leaves or good fruit?”

Pruning Required

Pruning is the process of cutting away parts of the plant so that it is healthy and productive.  There are the obvious parts that are diseased or unhealthy that need pruned.  There are also the offshoots and stems that seem to be healthy that the gardener will cut off so the plant is more productive.  Sometimes, it just feels wrong to snip that branch, yet that is what is required.

Pruning is not a fun process, either in the world of gardening or in our spiritual journey.  Cutting off part of ourselves is not enjoyable.  In fact, it is painful.  We like that stem, it looks nice and has some good leaves on it.  

Any part of our life that is unhealthy needs to be treated.  If diseased, then more aggressive pruning is required.  Sometimes, even to the point of having to cut off “good” branches or potential fruit, because of the disease closer to the main stalk.  When a moral failure occurs, there will be a time of cutting back from ministry activities (whether vocational or lay ministry).  This pruning reduces our reach and presence which can be detrimental in the near term, yet is required for healing and future growth and impact.

Pruning the Healthy Parts

Even healthy parts of our life require pruning.  This seems counterintuitive to me.  If it is green and growing, then it must be good.  Right?  Not necessarily.  Remember, we are designed to grow and bear fruit.

Unfruitful parts of our life take away nutrients from the fruit producing stems.  That deep theological study about eschatology (or whatever topic it may be) may be fun and engaging, but is it fruitful?  [Sidenote – I’m not saying eschatology or other Biblical topics are wrong to study in and of themselves, it is the overemphasis and getting lost in the depths of such topics where I see dangers.]  Whatever is not producing fruit, or aiding in the production of fruit, is taking resources away from the fruit producing parts of our life, and therefore, subject to pruning.

Father God even prunes the fruit bearing branches.  In John 15:1-2 Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

God is likely to cut away something that is producing small amounts of fruit, so that you can be more productive.  Because of limited resources (time for most of us), He will take us out of the one activity, even when we are seeing fruit there, and put us in another position where He knows there will be more fruit.  For example, you may be serving in the youth ministry at church, but God wants to use you to produce even more fruit serving the single mothers in your neighborhood.  It is possible that He will even shift you from a “greater” position to a seemingly less glamorous one, or even to serve without an official position.

An Ongoing Process

Pruning is not a one-time event.  Every so often, I have to inspect my plants and snip off a little here and some more there.  During the entirety of the growing season, pruning needs to happen.

The same is true for us.  Throughout the entirety of our life, we need to be continually open to the Lord’s inspection and pruning.  We must be willing to let go of the diseased stems, releasing the nice green leaves that aren’t producing fruit, and even allowing the fruitful activities be cut back so that we can bear more fruit.

Are we willing to go through the painful process of pruning?  What in your life needs to be cut out?  Is there a place that the Lord is wanting you to shift into so that He can produce even more fruit through you?  Are you abiding in the Lord so that you can be fully fruitful?

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15:1-5 ESV