Monday Musings - Fruit - Part 2

Whew - I have had a busy last week full of really great things.  I am so grateful for the people that I have in my life and the opportunities that the Lord gives me.

Have you been thinking about the fruit in your life and 

the pruning that is taking place?

Here is another sign that was in the tool shed at the apple orchard (if you have no idea what I am talking about, check out last Monday's posting!)

Pruning is for a purpose - it is not just random chopping off branches for fun.  It is deliberate and intentional.  This is just as true of the pruning that the Lord does in our lives.

*Pruning thins out a tree so that it can get air and light.  We can also find ourselves needing this.  We get too bogged down in this old world.  We get too busy and we sometimes feel like we are trapped in darkness.  The Lord wants us to breathe freely and to have His light all around us.  Something may need to go for this to happen.

*Pruning lessens damage.  If you have lived long at all, you know that the storms of life come our way.  The wind howls and the rain comes down.  Lightening flashes across the sky and thunder rolls.  I'm sure, like me, you have seen all the branches that have broken off the trees and are laying on the ground.  Pruning gets rid of the weaker branches so that the stronger branches can remain, even in adverse conditions.  The Lord's pruning in our lives does the same thing.  As He cuts out those things that weaken us, we are made stronger to withstand the storms that will inevitably come our way.

*Pruning corrects or repairs damage.  I have met so many people who have heart breaking stories - serious heart damage in their past relationships and hurts that go deep.  The Lord's pruning gets in there and trims out those damaged and diseased portions.  As healing takes place, those areas of our lives become useful and fruitful.

*Reasons 3 through 6 are all about getting that tree in the best condition to produce the best fruit possible.  Pruning prepares us for maximum, healthy growth.

*Pruning compensates for transplanting - oh how I love this one. As one who has been transplanted many, many times, this one is a favorite.  The Lord has done some major work and amazing stuff in my life each place that we have lived.  He has used His Word and His people to change me forever.  When He is the one doing the pruning - the transplant is vital and the transplanted one can thrive.  Praise the Lord.

The Lord has a plan for you.  He has fruit that He wishes for you to bear.  That fruit will be used to draw others to the Kingdom of God and to bless the lives of those around you.  The fruit in your life will also be a blessing to you and bring you great joy.

God's pruning comes from His heart to see us thrive.  He desires that we live in His joy, bearing His fruit.

 This is what those beautiful apple trees and apples looked like after they had been cared for, nurtured and ripened. 

Be encouraged, my friend.  The Lord knows exactly what you need in order to yield the most beautiful fruit in your life.  

Just as fruit does the body good . . . 

the fruit of the Lord enriches the body of Christ.

Be fruitful and multiply (blessings that is!)