I have a vine that has taken root in my flowerbed that is beyond a nuisance. It grows quickly, so quickly that it covered a rosemary bush in less than a week or two. Not only does it cover other plants, but it also wraps around it. Eventually, it begins to smother said plant. I have cut it and tried to pull it up by the roots, but it will not let loose of the ground and keeps coming back even after I cut it down. It is a bad vine with no fruit to show.
Sin gets in our life the same way. It takes root and tries to take over. When we fight it alone, if we fight it at all, we lose to its strength and pervasiveness. It grows faster than we can combat it. Just like I tried to fight the vine above, it keeps coming back. I’m not much of a match for this particular plant, but if I had a master gardener to help me who knew about how to kill weeds and promote good growth in other plants, then I might have a chance. In the same way, if we depend on our master gardener, our husbandman as it were, then we too can be victorious.
“15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” (John 15:1-3)
When we let God, the Husbandman, cut out the weeds and the bad vines, then we as branches that are grafted into the True Vine (Jesus Christ) can flourish and produce fruit. He is the only one who can purge us of sin, once and for all. While we live on this earth, we will still have to combat sin, but it can never completely overtake us because the Husbandman is faithful to prune us so that we can remain fruitful. Sometimes the pruning is not fun, but it is necessary. God has to cut out the bad so that He can make room for what we need. He cuts back the weeds that would overwhelm us so that we can take nutrients from the sunlight. Then we can be thriving fruitful vines.
If you are in a pruning season, just remember that the Husbandman has our best interest at heart. We can trust Him to do what is best for us. Just remember that whatever He is cutting out is merely making room for something even better than we ever imagined. So, don’t lose heart because the best is yet to be.