Word of Life

Refining / Pruning.

John 15: 1- 8

I believe that in one time or another we have seen farmers doing pruning to the plants or trees. Weeding also falls in this category. Mostly, you will find coffee or tea farmers doing this when the trees are about to bear fruits or during the winter so that when the fall season comes, the trees are able to bear much fruits.

In our Christian life, we are just like the trees that need some pruning so that they can produce/bear more fruits. I believe if the plants could speak when pruning is being done, they would say, leave me alone to be the way I am. Same case applies to us. Jesus Said the he is the Vine and His father is the gardener, and whichever branch that bears no fruit, he cuts it.

Pruning in our Christian lives is usually painful and we do not like it at all, but unless we are pruned, we won’t be able to bear the fruits that God wants us to. This pruning includes some leaving and forsaking some of the habits, things and even to an extent of parting with some of out friends. This is usually not pleasing to us. When this is being done, we usually complain and murmur a lot and we do not like it at all. To some extent we tend to think that God has forsaken us.

Remember David’s prayer in the book of psalms: “… That Oh God you may purify me, and let me be like a gold that is purified seven times” Here are some points I want to consider:

1.      Purification process: You know when the miners are purifying the minerals (gold), it is subjected to intense heating at high temperatures and at the end, it comes out pure gold. But note this one thing, Gold is more expensive than a diamond, but a diamond is more pure than gold. Why? Diamond is put through higher temperatures than Diamond thus it becomes purer. The miners will never believe that the mineral is pure till they can see themselves clearly in the mineral.

2.      The image: Just like the miners see their images on the diamonds and they are content that the diamond is now pure, that how God wants us to be. He wants to be seen in us. And for this to happen, we have to undergo through the fire so that we can be refined and purified. This process is not as simple as we may think, but the end result will be better than that of the first. Remember that we are all like clay in the potters hand and whatever the potter decides to mould, that’s what will come out of the clay. So let’s learn to be submissive to God so that he can mould us into the vessels he wants use so that we will accomplish his purpose and do His will in our Generation.

Consider these songs:  

Refiner’s Fire – Brian Doerksen 

Purify my heart
Let me be as gold and precious silver
Purify my heart
Let me be as gold, pure gold

Refiner’s fire
My heart’s one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for You Lord
I choose to be holy
Set apart for You my Master
Ready to do Your will.

Bwana Mungu nakuomba sasa,

unifanye kuwa kama upendavyo x2

Unifinyange, unifinyaange,

Unifanye kuwa kama upendavyo.

May this be our prayer:
God, I want to live a life that you will be seen and be glorified in. but because I can’t make it alone, I pray that as you prune me, as you refine me, give me the grace to bear it all and mould me into the kind of a vessel you want me to be.

Amen.

November 26th, 2008 - Posted by Mutuma, Dennis | Daily Inspirations