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Thursday, September 3, 2015

Abiding in Jesus. Pruning and the Gardening Father.

When we surrender and choose to make our lives about abiding in Jesus...  (John 15) We grow fruit. 

Looking like this in Kingdom Fruit would be amazing.


What else happens?


So much of the energy of preaching and teaching is focused on getting people to abide, we hardly explain what comes along with it.

Pruning. 

Learning to abide in the Lord
Learning to walk in his presence
Learning to rest in his work
Learning to remain in peace

Isaiah 26:3  - promise

All these things continue to grow in our lives as we give ourselves to Jesus and abide in him daily.
But other things occur as well. 

Pruning. 
Pruning. 
Pruning.

"He cuts off every brand in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes." John 15:2

Fruit bearing is the natural outcome of abiding in Jesus.
Every farming venture requires pruning, care for the plants and understanding of their growth and process to fruit making.  I've been pruning tomato and basil plants all summer.  Learning about how to multiply them and keep them vigorous. 

The Father, who crafted us inside and out, every cell, every ligament and joint fashioned in love and purpose, knows how to prune us.

The Father expressed his intentions and his heart towards us in Jesus.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son...."  John 3:16

When the Father prunes us He is shaping us in his loving kindness.
He is leading us to deeper places of abiding.
He is walking us into fruit bearing on a larger scale.
He is opening our lives and hearts, minds and strength to deep abiding in Jesus and more lasting fruit. 

When we abide we come under the care of the Gardener Father.
He is an expert at producing fruit.

He prunes and shapes our lives with loving kindness, the power of grace and the joy of salvation. 

In promise we overcome the world.  

"All things work for good for those who love God, for those who have been called according to his purpose."  Rom 8:28


We show ourselves to be disciples of Jesus when we produce fruit.  

"If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."  John 15:5

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you."  John 15:16

Pruning. The fresh new shoot is given priority

Fruit that lasts is salvation in the lives of people.  
Eternal life lasts.  



Galatians 5:22-23 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.



Sometimes a simple reminder is refreshing.




Webster Dictionary
  1. Prune(verb)
    To lop or cut off the superfluous parts, branches, or shoots of; 
    to clear of useless material; to shape or smooth by trimming; to trim: as, to prune trees; to prune an essay. 

    Our journey in following Jesus is just like the disciples in Scripture.  We move along in our understanding.  We grow in our ability to abide in and through all kinds of circumstances.  We learn to produce fruit "in season and out of season".  

    The Spirit of God is an outstanding leader in teaching us to be like Jesus.  We need to let go of our "discipleship"  and let the Spirit lead the ship.   Just put up the sails and walk in the Spirit's wind.  



    When you let go and trust, walk after the Spirit in daily abiding and submit joyfully to the Father's pruning, you will find the oceans of his presence carrying you in the winds of the Spirit.




    We are called to walk in the Spirit.  We are people who follow Jesus.   

    We move.  We walk.  We go.

     In the process of walking, the Father Gardener prunes us in season.  He expertly cuts away what is not needed so that in the season ahead we will be able to burst forth in new shoots of love and grace.  

In general, fruit grows on new branches.  Flowers grow on new shoots.
The Father, in wisdom and deep love expressed in Jesus, prunes us in season for the overflow and abundant fruit our lives are graced to produce.


LOVE, JOY, PEACE  vrs
Anger, judgement, criticism, malice, slander, these are not the attitudes that give us altitude to soar with Christ.

The Father will prune away anything that takes our affection off of his son Jesus.
The Father has no fear to prune or cut back for what he knows the plant can become.
The Father is perfect in wisdom and the master gardener.




 The dead branches are cut off.
 In the natural, the cut back sometimes appears ugly and a total loss.  But the Father is making way for new shoots of love, power and grace in and through us.
Trust the Father's gardening skill.








The most beautiful flows grow in tended gardens.  The Master has provided "every Spiritual blessing in Christ", the perfect soil conditioner for making beautiful flowers.

Sow into abiding in Jesus.
Learn the presence.
Learn to practice the presence.

Recommended Books: 
1. The Practice of the Presence - Brother Lawrence - free downloads.  Google search.
2. The Cost of Discipleship - Bonhoeffer
3. Holiness, Truth and the Presence of God - F. Frangipane


Other posts that may interest you:

1.http://jeffreynoldsonedesire.blogspot.com/2015/01/7-things-enemy-devil-doesnt-want-you-to.html
 




Thanks for reading. 
The dialogue is awesome.  Thank you. Testimonies?  Share em with me.   Re-Shares lov em.  Thank you!
With much love in Jesus
You can do this thing!  He's got you. 


Jeff Reynolds   ---
Brother Jeff


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