You strutting your branch?

Paul wrote a letter to the church at Rome - a church he was not able to visit, so he really was not well-acquainted with their individual beliefs, practices, or problems like he was with those churches he did make rounds on in his ministry.  In this letter, he outlines the very basics of faith - the things which should be foundation in our lives.  Since he did not know the church's particular struggles, he gives them the "full-gamut", so to speak.  Really, he shows why the gospel message is important, that each man needs to embrace it, and what happens when a man does take the gospel into this life in such a manner.  The biggest point he makes in this letter is the idea of grace vs. works - salvation being a matter of grace extended, no working our way into righteousness by any action or deed on our parts.  This was a concept foreign to the Jewish believer who was so used to following a set of rules in order to make "atonement" for their sins, or to be declared "clean".  As he continues with the letter, he comes to the place of explaining the embracing of "non-Jews" into the family of God - the action of grace extended to the Gentiles through the action of the cross of Christ.  So, although I know this letter is written to Roman believers - especially Jewish believers - I also know it has important points for us to consider as those of differing backgrounds who were "grafted in" to this "family tree".  

It’s certainly possible to say, “Other branches were pruned so that I could be grafted in!” Well and good. But they were pruned because they were deadwood, no longer connected by belief and commitment to the root. The only reason you’re on the tree is because your graft “took” when you believed, and because you’re connected to that belief-nurturing root. So don’t get cocky and strut your branch. Be humbly mindful of the root that keeps you lithe and green.  (Romans 11:19-20 MSG)

As Paul continues with the letter, he comes to this point of some "branches" being lopped off, others "grafted in".  Lest anyone could "boast" about being grafted in, he reminds them of the reason behind the "lopping off" of some of the branches.  You see, some failed to accept the work of grace as sufficient for their sins - they continued to deny the action of the cross - believing instead that the only path to God was as it had always been - by man's own efforts to be "good".  Lest we get a little "cocky" about being one of the "grafted" branches, he calls our attention to how easy it is to become a branch which suffers the fate of being lopped off.  In fact, he simply has to speak of the branch as "deadwood" to give us a vivid image of why the branch no longer belongs on the tree.  

This idea of some being "deadwood" caught my attention this morning.  First, it explains the condition of the heart of those who find themselves being "pruned".  They are no longer "connected" to the root.  They have chosen to "cut themselves off" from the supply of their need for that which will produce life within them.  Second, there is the matter of their lack of commitment.  I recently wrote about the importance of being able to commit as a means of placing one's life in the safe-keeping of Christ.  These "deadwood" branches may very well have been like all those little upshots I see on my plants from time to time.  They come up all hardy and green, but they are doing their own thing - taking from the tree whatever they can, but really still determined to live in their own way.  

Before I leave this point, I just want to encourage you to consider two things this morning.  I know this speaks of the Jews and Gentiles - each finding a place in Christ and some not willing to accept their place.  Yet I think it is okay to consider what it means for those of us who believe.   First - what's your connection to the root?  You may have "branches" in your own life which are barely connected and therefore barely drawing anything from the root.  The branch which draws little or nothing from the root becomes deadwood - just "cluttering" up the tree with its presence.  Don't resist the removal of the deadwood - in its removal there becomes room for the growth you may not have thought possible.  Second - what's your level of commitment to the root?  Every branch which remains has "placed" itself in a position of "safe-keeping". The connected branch doesn't go about doing its own thing - in fact, it finds all it needs for growth and protection from the "harsh elements" of life based on being vitally connected.  If you have been trying to live as an "up-shoot", then you are into sucking life from the root, but not really being part of the tree.

The other thing which stood out at me from this passage is the idea of being grafted into the tree.  The process of pruning actually makes a place for the graft to "take".  As long as disconnected or independent branches remain, there is no place for the "graft".  Thus, the pruning occurs - not to destroy the root, but to give the root the ability to function as it should - giving life to all branches who "take hold" and draw from it.  Here in Arizona, our warm weather has already begun.  Our trees are in full-bloom, pollen is wafting through the air, and the sweet smell of citrus, mesquite, and palo verde is everywhere.  As I examined my elm in the backyard, I noticed several branches have not "come back" this season - they are deadwood.  They will have to be lopped off soon, or the tree will suffer because of their presence.  I will soon have to fire up the chainsaw and get those taken off - allowing both space and light to the other branches around them.

This is what the pruning process accomplishes in our life - it gives us space to grow because it allows light to get into the spaces once occupied by what needed to be lopped off.  We can resist the pruning process, or we can see the "benefit" in getting rid of the deadwood.  It is all in how we look at the process - one sees it as cutting away something which obviously started out as part of the tree; another sees it as cutting away what no longer belongs despite its having belonged at one time.  We can liken this process to that of maturing - as we grow in Christ, things which once "belonged" in our character don't actually "fit" any longer.  They are "deadwood" and need to be cut off.  It may seem like we are "taking away" from the tree when we cut of the dead or nip off the independent growths which attempt to spring up on their own, but it is for the integrity of the tree.  Just sayin!

I am a character! (cont)

So, what a blessing when God steps in and corrects you!
   Mind you, don't despise the discipline of Almighty God!
True, he wounds, but he also dresses the wound;
   the same hand that hurts you, heals you.
From one disaster after another he delivers you;
   no matter what the calamity, the evil can't touch you...

(Job 5:17-19)

Sometimes I think we hope that God will be swayed, that he will change his mind, about the need for discipline in our lives.  He is not swayed by our resistance to change.  Obviously, the response he expects is submission - that we will yield to the discipline and then grow strong in our walk.  In reality, most of us simply don't embrace discipline with open arms - we revert back to the argumentative state of the "why me" mentality.

It is one thing to see God "lop off" some branch in our life that really wasn't bearing any fruit, or was like a "sucker" on a tree, taking valuable time and energy from us that would have been better spent elsewhere.  It is quite another thing to see God "pruning" branches that are actually bearing fruit!  We wonder if he has his eyes open!  What is that all about?

His love for us is not only focused on the stuff that ISN'T bearing fruit, but it is focused on bringing bigger and better fruit into our lives.  Sometimes, you sacrifice a little fruit today to have a bigger harvest tomorrow.  When we actually look deep inside and begin to see our lives the way God sees them - comparing them to the Word and what we know about his dear Son, Jesus - we can see why he is pruning us.

Sin doesn't "fit" who we are any longer once we come to Christ - so those branches have got to go!  As soon as that "branch" of sin is exposed in our lives, it is open to the pruning work of the Holy Spirit.  If we begin the work of looking for areas that don't align with the Word, we are actually participating in the pruning process - making the pruning process just a little easier.

Part of discipline is the action it takes to change the growth patterns - that is the process of pruning.  Whenever pruning takes place, the tree is shaped for its future growth.  We may not realize the growth that is intended when the pruning takes place, but all spiritual pruning is formative - it is designed to produce positive and growing character. 

Some questions to consider:  What is it that we are focusing on so intently right now in our lives?  Is that focus bringing the fruit in the proportion that God designed, or is it necessary for the pruning action to come in order to produce better fruit?  What do we see first - the branch or the fruit?  If it is just the branch, perhaps it is time to embrace a little pruning so that the formation of fruit might come next!

The right tool produces the right cut

^1-3 "I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn't bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.

(John 15:1-3)

An age-old question:  Why does a tree or vine need to be pruned?  Doesn't it hurt it?  Won't it die if we do all that cutting?  I remember watching Dad take out the pruning sheers, oiling them a little, sharpening the blades, and then cutting the bushes, vines and trees until they barely resembled what they were.  In the end, they looked "naked" - cut back almost to the point of what I considered to be "death".

What I did not understand was that proper pruning produces even more growth and prolongs the life of the tree or bush.  In fact, Dad would point out that an un-pruned tree could actually be a hazard - branches breaking off in windstorms or causing damage to roofs and surrounding structures as they swayed in the wind.  In our yards, we want things that enhance the beauty of the yard, so the purpose of pruning is to keep things "in shape" so that they contribute enhancing effects to the landscape.  In the orchard, pruning has a significantly different purpose - it is designed to get more fruit, earlier fruit, and healthier fruit.

Pruning is usually done during the dormant season - when the tree or bush has less sap flowing, leaves are not consuming all the life-flow of that sap, and the health/lack of health of the branches becomes very evident.  The one thing I learned from Dad was that the right tool produces the right cut.  Use the wrong tool and you may splinter off the branch, leaving a ragged cut that was neither beautiful, nor conducive to further growth the next season.  In fact, "where" you cut the branch is just as important as the tool you use to do the cutting.

You always cut near the "collar" of the branch - where it joins in with the branch you want to have remain.  Why?  It produces a better cut that ends the life of that pruned branch and focuses the growth potential on the branch that remains.  You go to where a large branch "V" occurs and cut it off at the "V" - leaving no indication that the branch existed except for evidence of the "cut".  This forms the tree into the shape you desire.

Dad never "topped" trees - he always pruned them.  For those of you that don't know what it is to "top" a tree or bush, it is the arbitrary cutting to do nothing more than shape the tree/bush.  There is no care in where the cuts occur.  What ends up happening is that the tree or bush sends off many more shoots from that area, increasing the wildness of the growth instead of stopping growth in that area.

If you can draw a few lessons today from what Dad taught me, they would probably be this:

• God never prunes us for the sake of just "pruning" - he always has an intention in mind - healthy growth, staying some wayward growth in our lives, and/or the production of fruit.
• God uses the best technique for the "pruning" in order to accomplish the desired results - if it is to stop us in our tracks before we become too "wild" in our growth, then he even does that.
• God is concerned with the end result - not just with the appearance of health.  He wants to see solid growth, productive lives, and healthy relationships.  To that end, he prunes.
• God always uses the appropriate instrument to get the desired result of his pruning.  Sometimes it is a saw, producing a more noticeable "cut" in our lives - other times, it is the sheers, just barely cutting away a small sucker or a branch that is not looking as healthy.

We have a great "gardener" in Jesus.  We can trust him with his "pruning" techniques and the exact timing of his work.  He is skilled at what he does and he understands what each "pruning" will produce.  We can embrace the pruning if we trust the one doing the pruning!

Prepared for Future Growth

^13-16So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that's coming when Jesus arrives. Don't lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn't know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, "I am holy; you be holy."
(I Peter 1:13-16)

In our passage this morning, we will explore the attitude of heart that we need to have in order to pursue God's holiness.  Our writer reminds us that it is not a pie-in-the-sky, happy-go-lucky existence we have once we come to Christ.  As a matter of fact, there is no room for laziness in our daily walk.

Peter opens this chapter with the words:  God the Father has his eye on each of you, and has determined by the work of the Spirit to keep you obedient through the sacrifice of Jesus.  He has his eye on us - an attentive Father that will not let us get by with living "below our potential" in Christ Jesus.  He has determined to keep us obedient - it is a lot more work for him than it is for us to keep us obedient!

Since this passage deals with bringing us into the reality of living holy lives, just like God is holy, it is comforting to me to know that the work of making me holy is not reliant on me!  God is at work in us to create the image of his Son in us - a life shaped by God's life.  Before we acknowledged Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we lived a life constantly guided by our own desires.  After coming into faith in Christ, there is a new "pull" on our lives - like a magnet drawing a piece of metal.  That pull is the work of the Holy Spirit of God within us - pulling us toward obedience.

A life energetic, blazing with holiness is not something that comes naturally - in other words, we can do nothing to work ourselves into a place of holy living. The very energy to pursue God in obedience comes from him - he is the one pulling us toward himself, enabling us to make right choices, laying aside the desires and pursuits of our sinful life.  Peter tells us that it is easy to "slip back" into the old way of doing things - we can resist the pull to do right when we become lazy in our pursuit of God.

A couple of weeks ago, I spent some time out in the yard.  My yard did not look all that bad - the grass was cut, the majority of the leaves were raked, and no huge weeds were springing up in the flower beds....but it was not "tailored".  In other words, I had let the plants "lazily" grow out of control.  They lacked form, and therefore, they really were over-running my flower beds.  So, I spent time trimming away dead growth, exposing the roots soil buried under a layer of dead leaves, and shaping the plants for future growth.

Don't miss that...I was shaping the plants for future growth.  The Lord does that in our lives, as well.  The tendency we have to "drift" into what appears on the outside to be "okay" growth may actually keep us from growing as we have the potential to grow.  As I cut away the dead blooms, removing the suckers that had sprung up, and reshaped the plants, they were "exposed" to new growth.  In one short week, I have seen new sprouts coming forth that give me signs that new growth is on the way.

The plants have a "new energy" to produce new growth - something they were not doing until I spent some time "cutting them back".  God wants us constantly revealing new growth - so he takes us through times when he focuses on that which is not growing well in order to move us on in obedience to him.  God is shaping us for future growth - blazing with holiness!