·         The focus of the book is the crushing events of life. Bishop Jakes talks about one of the most challenging seasons in his life – when he lost his mother and soon after, his young daughter, Sarah (13 years old at the time) revealed that she was pregnant. He states “My world seemed upside down. On either side of me generationally, I mourned the loss of two pillars in my life – the loving presence of my mother and the precious innocence of my daughter”. During that period, he says he felt crushed but desperately prayed that it was not the end – of him, of his family of his ministry.

 

·         Bishop Jakes uses those experiences to encourage anyone who has been dealt or is being dealt with the blows of life. Today, I chose to share one of the many chapters that stood out from this book to encourage and uplift not only myself but any of you my brothers who are doing it tough at this moment – those who feel cut off like a branch – my encouragement to you today is that this too shall pass, you are going to be okay – because your God, your Gardener / the Vinedresser is not cutting you but pruning you – and all this is for your best and in line with Gardener’s bigger purpose and intention in your life! Amen.

 

·         Disclaimer 😊 (are you even a lawyer if you don’t insert one): The text I share, has been taken from the same book, and to share the experience that I had when reading this book and the bible, I have chosen not to paraphrase the words and therefore do not claim to be my own.  Amen.

 

 

 

Our main text for this morning is John 15: 1 – 4:

 

 

In this metaphor, Jesus speaks directly to God’s character, the reason Jesus came to earth in human form, our identity as God’s children, and our Creator’s master plan for reuniting us in relationship with him.

 

In some translations of the bible use the word vinedresser instead of gardener.

A vinedresser specifically cultivates grapevines and is responsible for how the grapes develop and mature into ripe fruit suitable for making wine.

 

Based on Jesus’ explanation here, we can see how God desires us to be branches connected to Him, the true vine, in order to have life and nourishment that bears spiritual fruit. The metaphor reminds us that we’re not capable of producing fruit by ourselves. We must be connected, nourished, and strengthened by Christ, our life-giving Vine, even as we serve the purposes of God, the Master Vinedresser.

 

We each have potential inside us that can only bear fruit when we are connected spiritually to the source of our life and power.

 

Reflection Point:   Let’s take a moment right and reflect on our current circumstances in life / how are we positioned – are we still connected to him? Or have life’s circumstances disconnected us? You may be still connected, but is Christ still your source of strength and nourishment? Or have we taken matters into our own hands and turned elsewhere for that strength and nourishment?

 

 

Our suffering during the crushing experiences of life is not God’s punishment. Even though they might feel just as painful, the crucial difference between pruning and punishment is INTENTION.

 

We shouldn’t try to figure out HOW we suffer something but WHY.

 

If you are suffering and are being crushed, you may wonder, what possible purpose could such unbearable moments have in God’s purpose for your life? I believe the answer lies in the way God maintains control. I know that when our life events come crushing on us like a tonne of bricks – it is difficult, from our limited viewpoint, to believe that God is in control.

 

But always know that nothing is beyond God’s power, authority, and sovereignty. He knows what He’s doing even when we can fathom what possible good might come from a painful event.

 

You see, God doesn’t cut us to kill us but to heal us. Consider the distinct difference between encountering a knife blade from the hands of a robber in the inner city compared to experiencing a surgeon’s scalpel in an operating room – like our brother Juan who has just undergone surgery (*insert HIP HIP HOORAY 😊).

 

On one hand, suffering a knife wound in a mugging could lead to infection, permanent disability, and death. The surgeon’s cuts, however, alleviate pain, restore functioning, and facilitate the healing of a larger problem. The pain of the surgery and the wound may feel the same in the moment, but the intended outcome is vastly different. Whilst brother Juan would have gone through the pain of the surgery, I am excited and looking forward to his full recovery and seeing him walking around without the pain and the limp – why because at that point, the surgery would have achieved its purpose – which was not to harm our brother but to restore him, Amen.

Reflection Point:   During times of crushing disappointments, trials, and losses, have you ever felt like God was punishing you? Why did you feel this way? Did others contribute to how you felt?

 

 

Depending on how we view God’s intention in allowing us to suffer, we then determine how we perceive our pain. Even when we know that we must go through hard times in order for the seeds of our greatness to sprout into fruition, we will still struggle at times with feeling like we are being destroyed. If you think about it, being planted and being buried may feel similar if not identical - yet they each lead to incredibly different consequences.

In order to mature and ripen from our crushing blows, we must pay attention to how we perceive our suffering – I repeat - In order to mature and ripen from our crushing blows, we must pay attention to how we perceive our suffering.

 

Without denying or suppressing our pain and its expression, we MUST cling to the hope we have by faith in God. Like a tree being pruned by a master gardener, we are being cut only so we can grow stronger and straighter, taller and truer.

 

We seek this kind of response in a man whose name has become synonymous with suffering: Job. He expresses his truth while at the same time holding fast to his trust in the Lord:

 

 

Job’s example reinforces the fact that those individuals and families who express their anguish honestly and openly, without abandoning their faith, tend to heal more fully than others who try to pretend they are doing fine.

 

[ Don’t get me wrong – I am not saying go and shout out all your problems to the world – but as we have been taught a few weeks ago by Pastor Josh – I identify your circle / share your burdens with that circle – don’t do it alone.]

 

Considering the magnitude of all Job lost, there’s no way he could pretend to be doing fine. Nevertheless, he adamantly would not give up on God.

 

Perhaps Job understood that God allows such pruning just as a loving father disciplines a child so that the child will mature and reach her full potential.

 

From personal experience – I have learned most about life, myself, relationships and God – during life’s most challenging moments. When our world falls apart and we’re confronted by a crisis or catastrophe, then our priorities come into sharp focus. We have no time for what is unnecessary, trivial, and superfluous. We suddenly see what matters most, and we focus accordingly.

 

In my own life, after times of harvest, I’ve often experienced times of pruning. Although these times still catch me by surprise, I know that the two often work hand in hand for God’s larger purposes. His pruning of the branches of blessings in my life on the heels of a massive harvest reinforce what Jesus told us: “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and And every branch that bears fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

 

As a result, I have changed the way I view those times of pruning. I will never enjoy the pain of loss, uncertainty and frustration in the moment. But I’ve learned to recognise that God is not pruning me because I’ve done something wrong. On the contrary, He is pruning me because I am bearing fruit.

 

The same is true for you. If you are experiencing crushing moments in your life, then assume God wants to increase your harvest by pruning you back now so that you will produce more fruit later. At such times, you have been chosen by the Vinedresser to be pruned because you have done something that other branches have not: fulfilled your purpose by bearing fruit.

 

 

During those times when we’re being pruned by God, we still have a choice about how we respond. And it’s not easy. We’re experiencing the inescapable trauma of God cutting away many of the things in life we value most. In addition, the enemy of our souls often uses our desire for comfort to tempt us away from God’s higher purpose for our lives.

 

Despite how you may feel in the moment, I urge you to keep in mind that nothing you lose is more valuable than what God wants to give you in its place.

 

God does not value our material possessions and human achievements the way we do. Instead, He cherishes the eternal gifts being unlocked inside us as we look beyond our pleasure in this life.

 

Remember: Your miracle is never in what you lost – it’s in what you have left. You are not being punished by life’s crushing season, you are being pruned for more productivity. Pruning is not punishment.

 

Amen.