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The Vinedresser


“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." -John 15:1-4

 As you know this months theme here on The Quiet Place is "abiding in Christ". When thinking about this months theme I was reminded of a devotional I did this summer on what it means to abide in Christ. One day in particular it was talking about God as the vinedresser as it says in John 15:1-"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener."  

 In my life I see daily how God is pruning me in my struggles, in my stress, and in my joy. He's pruning me like grapes on a vine, he's taking the pain, struggle, joy and pruning it into something beautiful. In my life i find that he is "pruning" me the most in my seasons of life weather it be singleness or different season altogether, but for me it's in my singleness that I find the most "pruning" because in it there is struggle, joy, and just plain messiness. It's a struggle because sometimes it would be nice to have that someone, but it's also a joy because there's joy in being able to fully rest in him, and there's also messiness cause let's be honest sometimes it's just one of those "hot mess" days. But through all of that I am continually reminded that God is the vinedresser, he is the one doing the "pruning" not me and he is the one that I can abide in each and everyday. He is where I find rest and contentment.  
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  1. MadisonOctober 23, 2014 at 9:08 AM

    Bahh, I just love this Britney! That verse is one of my favorites and it's actually part of how I came up with Grace + Vine's name! I love the way you talk about the Lord pruning you, it's so true and that is definitely a constant in our lives!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ladonna WatkinsOctober 23, 2014 at 10:06 AM

    Amen. He prunes us all and we need to rest in His sovereignty. We trust Him and know that His timing is always perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  3. BritneyOctober 23, 2014 at 12:10 PM

    thanks girl!
    It's one of my favorites as well! I love the message behind it :)
    It's so true isn't it? He is always pruning us no matter what season of life we are in.

    ReplyDelete
  4. BritneyOctober 23, 2014 at 12:11 PM

    So true! His timing is perfect, And his constant "pruning" reminds us all of that.

    ReplyDelete
  5. VictoriaOctober 23, 2014 at 12:50 PM

    You know, as I was reading that passage to prepare for my post "the vinedresser" really stood out to me more than it ever has before. As a gardener, I know the care that is involved with nurturing plants and it showed me another side of God that I never considered fully.

    Thanks for bringing me back to it again!

    ReplyDelete
  6. BritneyOctober 24, 2014 at 11:05 AM

    It did to me too. I love the message behind the verse, so good! :)
    I love how you what you said about God being the gardener, that is so true. He is always "pruning" and watering us with his love and his grace.

    ReplyDelete
  7. VictoriaOctober 24, 2014 at 12:17 PM

    Amen!

    ReplyDelete

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