Pruning the Heart

Have you ever wondered how a tree produces good fruit and beautiful blossoms? I have a few rose bushes in my back yard that I have to prepare for winter so they will grow again in the spring. It's my least favorite thing about fall because I love how tall and beautiful my roses grow throughout summer.

Yesterday, I trimmed the bushes down, wincing as I cut away what had been so beautiful. Each time the shears snapped and a branch fell, I thought about how doing this was helping the plant so it would grow back with beautiful blossoms next spring. Jesus described this process in the Bible.

Jesus talks about the process of pruning vines. He describes cutting away the vines that did not produce fruit and leaving the vines that were productive. Much like in our own lives, we know that we must go through the process of Him pruning our hearts to continue growing in Him to produce spiritual fruit: love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self control...

There's a worship song that I listened to in college and I hadn't heard in awhile, but as I was cutting away branches in my backyard, it came to mind. It's always been an honest prayer of my heart to let God lead me where He will. This song captures the heart of that prayer, and I wanted to share it with you. I hope it encourages you as it has done for me over the years.

Here's "Empty Me" by Jeremy Camp.