1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crossblock devotional. We're glad to have you 3 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 2: listening with us. Today's topic is why spiritual pruning is 4 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:21,360 Speaker 2: important for you to grow to reach your full potential. 5 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 2: We'll return with the devotional after a brief message from 6 00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 2: our sponsors. Let God Prune your life. Written and read 7 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:45,080 Speaker 2: by Whitney Hoppler. I am the true vine, and my 8 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 2: father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in 9 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:51,920 Speaker 2: me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does 10 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:54,880 Speaker 2: bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even 11 00:00:54,920 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 2: more fruitful John fifteen one through two. And I walking 12 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 2: through a botanical garden, I noticed a pile of green stems, branches, 13 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 2: and buds that had been cut off various plants and 14 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 2: scattered on the ground. It seemed at first like someone 15 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 2: had vandalized the garden. Just as I started to get 16 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 2: angry about what I thought was a crime, I noticed 17 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 2: a gardener at work farther down the garden path. He 18 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:28,479 Speaker 2: was cutting off parts of plants on purpose. That reminded 19 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 2: me that pruning is actually healthy for plants, no matter 20 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 2: how hard it may look for them to be cut. 21 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 2: Gardener's prune plants to give them the energy and space 22 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 2: they need to bloom fully. Pruning helps plants reach their 23 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 2: full potential. Jesus reveals in John fifteen one through two 24 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 2: that God prunes people. God cuts off what isn't healthy 25 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,559 Speaker 2: and productive in our lives and gives us the help 26 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 2: we need to be as fruitful as possible in our lives. 27 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 2: In the plant world, a vine only has a certain 28 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 2: amount of sap to give to its branches. If that 29 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 2: sap is sent to fifty different, tiny branches, none of 30 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 2: them will produce big, juicy grapes. They will all be 31 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 2: small and struggling. But if the gardener cuts those fifty 32 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 2: branches down to five, all the energy from the sap 33 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,800 Speaker 2: will go into those five branches. The result will be 34 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:29,360 Speaker 2: fruit that's healthy and sweet. The same is true for 35 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 2: your soul. You only have so much energy. If your 36 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 2: schedule is cluttered with too many activities, your limited energy 37 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:41,239 Speaker 2: will be spread so thin that you'll become exhausted. You'll 38 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:44,120 Speaker 2: be busy, but not fruitral in the way God intended. 39 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:47,360 Speaker 2: Even though you'll be doing a lot, you won't be 40 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 2: accomplishing what matters most. From God's perspective, That can all 41 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 2: make your spiritual life feel like a wilted plant. You'll 42 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 2: feel burned out and unable to connect with God in 43 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,359 Speaker 2: the ways that will help you your soul bloom fully. 44 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:05,920 Speaker 2: Sometimes God asks you to step away from things that 45 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 2: are clearly unhealthy. It's easier to do that than to 46 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 2: step away from good things. God sometimes leads you away from, 47 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 2: like a job that pays you well but pulls you 48 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 2: away from your primary calling or friendship that you've outgrown. 49 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:25,240 Speaker 2: When God prunes parts of your life, he does so 50 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 2: because he wants to give you more blessings, but first 51 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 2: you need more space in your life to receive those blessings. 52 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:36,160 Speaker 2: Pruning can hurt. It can feel like you've lost an 53 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 2: important part of your life, or even an important part 54 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,440 Speaker 2: of who you are as a person. But remember who 55 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 2: the gardener is. It's your loving, heavenly Father who has 56 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 2: good purposes and plans for you. God doesn't just hack 57 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 2: away randomly. He prunes precisely what's best for you to 58 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 2: grow to reach your full potential. When God prunes your life, 59 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 2: he's clearing the way for a season of growth that 60 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 2: you can't even imagine yet. He wants your life to 61 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 2: be like a beautiful garden that fulfills you and pleases 62 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 2: him as he seeses good design for your life become 63 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:17,080 Speaker 2: a reality. You need to cooperate with God for that 64 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 2: to happen. However, it's lital to be willing to let 65 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 2: go of whatever God wants to prune out of your life. 66 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 2: So take an honest look at your life right now? 67 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:29,919 Speaker 2: What's taking the energy away from your relationship with God? 68 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:33,400 Speaker 2: Let the master gardener do his work to prune it 69 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:37,839 Speaker 2: away so you can grow and thrive. Intersecting faith in 70 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 2: life as you consider how pruning is important for you 71 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:44,920 Speaker 2: to grow to reach your full potential, reflect on these questions. 72 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 2: If you looked at your schedule as a garden, which 73 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 2: areas feel the most overgrown or crowded right now? What's 74 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 2: one unhealthy activity you can prune out of your schedule 75 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:58,720 Speaker 2: this week to make more room for something that will 76 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:02,480 Speaker 2: help you grow closer to God. But what's one activity 77 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 2: in your life that's good but still might be keeping 78 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 2: you from experiencing God's best? How can you let go 79 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,159 Speaker 2: of it to make room for something better? When you 80 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 2: feel God punting something away from your life, how can 81 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:17,919 Speaker 2: you resist the urge to grab onto it and instead 82 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 2: trust God to take it away. What kind of fruit 83 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:26,159 Speaker 2: of the spirit, like patience, kindness, or peace do you 84 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:28,360 Speaker 2: want to see more of in your life this season? 85 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:35,120 Speaker 2: Further reading Hebrews twelve eleven, Proverbs three five through six, 86 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 2: Galatians five twenty two through twenty three, Isaiah fifty eight, 87 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 2: eleven Philippians one six. 88 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to today's devotional. If you liked what 89 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:53,280 Speaker 1: you heard today, we want to make sure you know 90 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 1: about our sister podcast, your Daily Prayer. 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