Pruning or Prunes.. Our choice
Staring out my window reflecting this morning
I was struck by the beauty of my large shade tree.
Planted 13 years ago it has grown into a mighty strong tree.
It only has a few leaves of the season left on it now. Most are lying down at its trunk blowing away with the wind.
I thought of Paul’s descriptions of our sinful self before and after the Holy Spirit.
We shed our old self and put on the new self in Christ Jesus.
The dead leaves of my old life are being blown away daily making room for the new beautiful more righteous version.
They don’t blow away all at once, it’s a slow steady process. Best I can recall it took several months for this tree to shed all its leaves.
God takes His time and many seasons to prune and mold us into his image. It’s not done in months, but over our entire Christian lifetime.
2 Corinthians 3:18- But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
I’d rather be pruned by God and have a sunny disposition than having a sinful prune face of hurt, un-forgiveness and unhappiness, stewing in my anger or discontent.
I’m pretty sure all those faces cause wrinkles.
Romans -14. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Under grace. Two of my favorite words.
The key for me is seeking forgiveness quickly, thanking my God for caring to correct me and shifting my attitude from dark to sunny. The faster I do this the happier my disposition becomes.
Sin no longer has a hold on me. Jesus gave us the out on the cross.
I have to remember who I am in Jesus. I don’t want to do anything to diminish what he did for me.
Don’t condemn yourself. (That’s a sin) Jesus already paid the price for your sins if you belong to Him.
Recognize your sin, confess it quickly, think about it so as to really learn and move on. Always remembering who you are in Christ.
What you’ve done is not who you are. It’s a setback until you confess it. The evil one will try and keep you down. Defeat him.
You are forgiven, you are loved and you are His masterpiece.
Ephesians 2:10- For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Does that mean it’s easy? NO! We still have a sinful flesh we will struggle and have to fight it. We can’t do it on our own.
We have the solution! The Holy Spirit that is abiding in us. Don’t tune Him out. Lean in.
For me the key is to remember… We fight not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of evil.
So the more I keep my focus on Him and his words and realize who the real enemy is… (The evil one). The sooner I can move on.
Ephesians 6:12- For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
We all are sinners and struggle and will until Jesus comes again. This is why we have grace, mercy and forgiveness.
All the fruits of the spirit are available to us. We must also practice giving them.
So now when I look at the falling leaves and think of my struggles….
I’ll think of God’s loving hands pruning me for His glory. Working to make me look fuller, more beautiful… not only in His eyes, but mine as well. I am His masterpiece.
I pray I have many more seasons of growth and shedding as I learn to navigate this world with an in-tune ear to his quiet whispers.
Let’s all try and have patience with each other. We are all being pruned for His glory and experiencing different seasons of this life.
I know my God will use all of our leaves for His glory.
Exodus 14:14- The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
Let’s practice being still and listening to Him in this busy season.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.