Daily devotion – in the garden
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. – John 15:1
Grapevines can grow and produce much fruit only with careful tending by the gardener.
Jesus wants to teach us that we should view the trials and suffering we face very differently from the way they appear and feel to us in this world.
Suffering is not a sign of God’s anger to His disciples; rather it’s a sign of His mercy and His Fatherly love to us. It has its purpose. It’s not an easy lesson but that does not change the truth of its impact and reason.
What if the branches could talk and could see the gardener pruning and trimming? Would they exclaim – “Oh what are you doing? You are cutting and removing bits of me everywhere, leaving me to stand here half-naked. You are crueller to me than to other trees and plants.”
But the gardener would reply, “You just don’t understand. If I cut off a branch, it’s because it’s a useless branch which takes strength and sap away from you. The other branches won’t be able to produce fruit and will also begin to fail. It must go! It’s for your own good. I am doing this so you will yield much more fruit.”
Let us recognise our Father’s pruning and His loving care of our lives. He is a Master Gardener!