The Joy of Painful Growth

In our backyard in California, Cynthia and I had a couple of fruit trees that supplied our table with luscious, homegrown grapefruits and oranges. Some years, the trees bore more fruit than others. And every year, the growth of those trees reminded me about what it means to become more like Christ.

The secret to growing Christlike is found in the tiny word abide. Like branches that cling to the tree for life, we attach ourselves to Him when we abide. When we are attached to Him, we grow whatever He grows.

I would guess that you already know what that fruit looks like. Galatians 5:22–23 gives us a wonderful list: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Oh, there are no better traits! But don’t try to produce these traits on your own. The only thing you can do as a child of God is depend upon the Lord to produce them in you.

As I looked more carefully at those trees in our backyard, I discovered an unmistakable pattern: Our trees bore the most fruit when they had been pruned the previous season. When we, with care and tough love, cut back the twigs, dead branches, and extra foliage that took energy away from the fruit-bearing branches, the tree received more sunlight and gained more room for growth.

That’s also the way it is with the Father. The secret of the fruitful vine, as Jesus revealed in John 15, is in the pruning. Some of you are being pruned right now. God is cutting away everything that keeps you from growth. It’s painful, isn’t it? But an unkempt vine can never produce good fruit, so your branch must be kept clean. That means dealing with those areas where we fail, those parts of our personalities that are not pleasing to God and, in some cases, tend toward sin.

How might God be pruning you for growth today? If you see an area that needs cleaning, acknowledge it. Got any sin that needs to be confessed? Any area of your life from which you’re excluding Him? If so, repent of it and claim His forgiveness. While you probably don’t see the fruit right now, it will come. In fact, the fruit comes only through God’s careful pruning.

But growing fruit means more than just pruning. It also has to do with depending daily—moment by moment, day by day, month by month—on the Lord Himself. Make it your determined purpose to stay close to the Vine this year, and get ready for Him to grow the fruit of His life in you.

Copyright © 2001, 2014 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted in Christian Living and tagged .

Accuracy, clarity, and practicality all describe the Bible-teaching ministry of Charles R. Swindoll. Chuck is the chairman of the board at Insight for Living and the chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary. Chuck also serves as the senior pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, where he is able to do what he loves most—teach the Bible to willing hearts. His focus on practical Bible application has been heard on the Insight for Living radio broadcast since 1979.

ఖచ్చితత్వం, స్పష్టత మరియు ఆచరణాత్మకత అన్నీ చార్లెస్ ఆర్. స్విన్డాల్ యొక్క బైబిల్-బోధనా పరిచర్యను వివరిస్తాయి. చక్ ఇన్సైట్ ఫర్ లివింగ్ కు బోర్డు ఛైర్మన్ మరియు డల్లాస్ థియోలాజికల్ సెమినరీకి ఛాన్సలర్. చక్ టెక్సాస్‌లోని ఫ్రిస్కోలోని స్టోన్‌బ్రయర్ కమ్యూనిటీ చర్చ్ యొక్క సీనియర్ పాస్టర్‌గా కూడా పనిచేస్తున్నారు, అక్కడ ఆయన చాలా ఇష్టపడేదాన్ని చేయగలుగుతున్నాడు-ఇష్టపడే హృదయాలకు బైబిల్ నేర్పిస్తున్నారు. ఆచరణాత్మక బైబిల్ అనువర్తనంపై ఆయన దృష్టి 1979 నుండి ఇన్సైట్ ఫర్ లివింగ్ రేడియో ప్రసారంలో వినబడుచున్నది.