Pruning

And a very good morning to you! It is Saturday morning, 9th of April, the year 2022. And this is your friend, Angus Buchan with a thought for today.

“I can do all things”

- that is a wonderful promise, isn’t it? But we must read the whole verse, not just half of the verse. It says:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Philippians 4:13

We cannot do it on our own.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5

I want to say that again. Jesus says: "for without Me you can do nothing.”

I wish I had known that as a young man because I struggled. I worked and I did things in my own strength - they never amounted to anything. When I handed over to Jesus, all of a sudden, things started coming right. As we remember this Easter Season, Pontius Pilate had Jesus standing in front of him and he honestly believed, because he represented Rome which ruled the world, He said to Jesus, “I have the power to crucify or to release You.” (John 19:10-11) And Jesus said to him, “You have no power because the power that you have only comes from God. God gave you the permission.” We really need to remember that - Without Christ, we can do nothing.

Every time I preach, I get down on my knees and I pray before the Lord, “Lord, that You would watch over the words of my mouth and the meditation in my heart, for I ask it in Your precious name.” And then I preach, if I don’t do that, there is no power at all. Remember, Romans 8:31 says that if Christ is for us, who can stand against us? Now, the Lord is the One who prunes the branches of the vine, isn’t He? He says that the branches that bear the most fruit, He prunes the hardest and I sometimes say, “But Lord, does that make sense?” And He says, “But I want more fruit from you, Angus.”

Remember though, that the pain of the pruning is much more painful for the vinedresser than it is for us. That’s right because He holds the pruning shears in His hand but He has a hole in His hand that He received on the Cross of Calvary. It is more painful for Him than it is for us but at the end of the day, oh folks, it is so worthwhile.

Let Him prune you today. Ask Him and always say, “Lord willing, we will do this today or tomorrow”... not "I will do it." No, “Lord willing.”

Have a wonderful Saturday and God bless you!
Goodbye.