Pruning the shrubbery in the yard was a task that was long overdue. Getting down underneath some of the bushes with shears in hand, I was able to lop off overgrown shoots. Then working from the bottom up I began to trim and shape, branch by branch. Sometimes I would take a step backwards to get a better perspective to make sure the little bush was not lopsided.
Isn't this what God does? He works from the bottom up; that which is beneath the surface where things are often overlooked and overgrown. He then begins to trim and shape us piece by piece. He also is concerned that we don't become lopsided. He wants us to be balanced in our lives, our families and our ministries. Sometimes He steps back from the pruning in order to see how the shrub will grow; ready to step back in to re-work those branches so that it reflects the hands of a Master Gardener.
John 15 (Contemporary English Version) Taken from verses 1-9
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit. But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit...Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you....you cannot do anything without me....Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me.
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