Title: Spiritual Pruning (John 15:1-2)
[John 15:1 - 2]
[1] ♠ I am the true vine, and my father is the farmer. [2] ♠ Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, the Father takes away it, and every branch that bears fruit he purifies so that it may bear more fruit.
Conversely, let's look at the advanced leaders who were unable to prune spiritually and lived a life of tragedy. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings to God, received wisdom as a gift, and started with great potential. He built the beautiful Jerusalem temple and enlarged the territory, but he could not remove the political temptations, so he fell into lust and lost the glory of God through idolatry. and the suffering of Israel being divided in two. It's because they couldn't do spiritual pruning. 2 Timothy 4:10-11 [Demas, because he loved this world, left me and went to Thessalonica, Cresche to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia, and only Luke is with me. Take Mark with me when you come, and he is good for my work. ] Demas, Cresces, and Titus were people who participated in the missionary journey with Paul. He had a Passion to God in his own way and was a devoted man. However, I could not remove and prune the branches of temptation from the world, so I loved the world more and left the ministry at the decisive moment.
You can see in many places in the Bible that spiritual pruning can make such a huge difference. What is it that satisfies us in the suboptimal and not the best? The Lord is telling us to boldly prune the temptations of this world. We would like to share two elements necessary for daily spiritual value.
First: A life longing for more fruit
John 15:2 2nd verse [He cleanses the teeth so that they may bear more fruit] It is bearing fruit, but God wants us to bear more fruit. We also need to yearn for more fruit to train spiritual pruning. God has given us infinite possibilities through the Holy Spirit. He said that when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, he will do greater things than I (Jesus). We must have a longing to discover the infinite things that God has given us. The moment you are satisfied with this in your spiritual life, you lose the infinite spiritual potential God has given you. When Peter, John, and James saw the glory of the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration and said, “It is nice to be here, pitch a tent here and let us serve you. There are many things to do toward the cross after descending. At that time, from the time we saw the glory of the Lord, we have many things to do.
When I am satisfied with what I have received and think that I will stop here, I lose the possibility that the Lord has given me. The apostle Paul says from prison to the end, "I want to know the Lord." That is why we used the knowledge of the Lord as a podium for our ministry. I bless you in the name of the Lord that you will run toward the pods until the moment you meet the Lord.
Second: Living in the Lord
John 15:4 [Remain in me] When we abide in the Lord, we can live a life of boldly removing unnecessary things. To abide in the Lord is to enter into the deeper love of the Lord. It is boldly throwing away obstacles for the sake of love. When I was a seminary student, I had someone I loved. I had a very busy day at the time, but I didn't compromise on the time I spend with my loved ones. Because there is love, when you have a love relationship, you can boldly let go of other things. In chapter 15, Jesus continues to say, “Abide in me.” The deeper you go in living your life with the Lord, the more you can cut off obstacles to love.
Everyone! Do you love the Lord? Then where should that love be proven? It is proven when we remove the non-essential that must be removed in order to achieve that love. I pray this morning, what are the things we need to remove from our lives, that we can enjoy everything in the world and can not fully maintain a relationship of love with the Lord, so that I can boldly move on to a clear decision about what I am having a hard time but boldly giving up wish. I pray in the name of the Lord that we will be able to focus on our lives by boldly throwing away the obstacles to our purpose in order to live a purposeful life.
prayer topic
1. For the best life longing for many fruits
2. For the pure wool retreat
3. To give the Sunday worship entirely to God
4. Pray for the pastor's spiritual insight and the filling of the Holy Spirit.