The ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao-Tze wrote that, “The twisted tree lives its life while the straight tree ends up in planks”.
I’ve got good news for you – God has no use for the straight trees, the people who think they are righteous and holy. God is looking for the twisted trees, the ones who have been knocked around by life and know that they have failed God. God wants to give them the opportunity of long lives, but there is a catch – they will have to undergo some pruning.
God prunes us in love and not as punishment since Jesus has already been punished in our place. We deserve punishment, of course, because we all sin against each other and God, but when we trust in Jesus as our Saviour and Lord, then Jesus’ righteousness becomes ours for eternity and our sins become His sins to bear on the cross.
God is our Father and He only prunes the ones that are His children. He makes us aware of our failures, bad attitudes, sinful habits and sometimes this includes bearing the painful consequences of those sinful actions and words. He waits for us to repent.
Our twisted tree with dead branches, non-fruit bearing branches and shoots coming from its base needs God’s attention.
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father” (Jn 15:1-8 NLT).
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