I love Spring! As I have mentioned before, I have grown to love gardening in the last few years since I downsized my business and have been working from home. Earlier this Spring, I was so excited to find that many of the perennial flowers that I planted last year survived the winter. Every day has seemed like Christmas as the new gifts of flowers keep coming.

The flower pots around our back yard were barren at the start of April but by the end of April, they were overflowing with beautiful pink dianthus blooms. Then just as quickly as the dianthus blossomed, many of the blooms turned brown leaving my back yard looking, well, let’s just say not as beautiful.

Where does a new gardener go for advice when this happens? Well, either to my friend, Debbie Williams, or to Youtube, of course! And since Debbie wasn’t here, I pulled up Youtube to find that the only way to get more beautiful dianthus blooms is to cut every single one of the blooms off at the next cluster down of leaves, deadheading they call it. Let me tell you that was no easy undertaking as there were hundreds of blooms. I am still working on that, a little every day.

Aren’t we just like those flowers? All eager to bloom and bloom, then our energy dies out; our fruit quits bearing. Maybe we are just too tired to keep going. Can I get an Amen? Or, we get too discouraged. Could it be that we just get lazy and quit trying? Is it sin in our life that keeps us from producing God’s best? Truly we cannot produce fruit in our lives on our own, that only comes from the Master Gardener. So what does it take to keep us blooming and bearing fruit? God’s Word gives us a couple of secrets.

Remaining in Christ

In John 15:4-5, Jesus says, “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.” Remaining in Christ means we rely on Him, are nourished by Him daily, are filled by Him, and He is the center of our hope, our life, and our existence.  Boy, I don’t know what this flower would do without the Gardener tending to me every day. I acknowledge I am weak and need the living water and sunshine that only He can provide.

Pruning by the Master Gardener

“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.” (John 15:2) The Bible says He prunes us if we are bearing fruit and if we are not. Pruning can be painful, and often comes in the form of a trial. We know all about those, don’t we?

If we are not producing and have not accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are in danger of being removed and cast into the fire (John 15:6).

If we are producing fruit, He sometimes prunes us to make us healthier and get us into better shape to bear more fruit. Sometimes we have dead wood in our lives that needs cutting out. There are sins and ungodly influences or habits in our lives that need removing. His plan for us is to bear lots of fruit, and we can only do that through Him.

Though pruning can be painful, it is so worth it. It is better for us to long for more fruit than for an easier life, though it is hard to do. Who wants another trial? I sure don’t, although I find myself in the thick of one right now. Maybe this is true for you too.

Be encouraged today because after the pruning, come the beautiful flowers and the luscious fruit. May we welcome the work that only the Master Gardener can do in our lives. Only through Him can we become all He plans for us to be—our best.

Dear Lord: Thank You for being our Creator and the Master of all things. We are only able to bear fruit by Your hands and Your blessing. Please do Your good and faithful work in us until Your perfect will is accomplished. Help us to learn to appreciate Your pruning and the beauty of Your work in our lives. Let us remain in You all our days. Amen

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

Have you ever felt like you were being pruned? Do you see now that it was for your good, your growth and betterment? Please share your comments, thoughts, and experiences.

Thank you for reading and sharing my blogpost. May the Master Gardener grow in you His beautiful and bountiful harvest.