Latest Devotion
Pruning for Fruitfulness
By: Trish Monley
Friday, April 24, 2026
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:1-2
I have a lovely, large diameter pot that sits at the top of the stairs on the landing in front of my apartment. It's currently filled with succulent plants and cacti. Recently, I noticed that one of my cactuses was beginning to flower. The buds were white in color and shaped like tulips. It was beautiful!
Much to my surprise, three more delightful flowers appeared the following morning. They were spectacular, but they were short lived. By evening they were wilting, and all of them died overnight. So, like any good amateur gardener, I took a pair of scissors and cut away those dead stems. Then it hit me, this could be a metaphor for what God does to us! He prunes and shapes us to remove the dead, stagnant parts of our lives.
As I pruned those dead flowers, I felt as if God had been pruning me personally. I recalled a time when I was dating a man that I knew was an unbeliever. I thought it was my mission to lead him to Jesus Christ, but I had never studied the scriptures on being unequally yoked. Recently, a pastor at our church taught those verses, and when I heard them explained, it changed my opinion. Once you know God’s Word, you know!
After that sermon, I knew my desire to lead this man to the Lord was no longer my burden. I thanked God for delivering me out of that relationship, and from the lack of self-control in my life during that time. Sin no longer had a hold of me! The freedom I found helped me continue my quest to be more like Jesus. To make me more fruitful, God had to prune my character and remove some unnecessary things from my life.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:22-24
After I pruned it, I noticed the cactus in my garden is preparing to produce more flowers. When the Lord prunes us, it may seem a little uncomfortable. But remember, He is pruning us so we can produce more fruit!