Live, Then, Children of the Resurrection
The pruning is past—the windows are open, and life fills the house once more.
Devotional Credit: Days of Heaven on Earth by A.B. Simpson
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Too often, the Christian life is portrayed as an endless cycle of cutting away, of dying to self, of painful pruning. But the truth revealed in John 15:2 is far more hopeful. There is a purpose behind the pruning: fruitfulness. And once the dying is reckoned as done — once we accept by faith that we have been crucified with Christ — the call is no longer to dwell in death, but to walk in newness of life.
Just as a wise gardener doesn't keep slashing at a freshly pruned branch, so our Lord does not keep us in a state of perpetual wounding. The season of pruning leads to the season of flourishing. Christ’s life within us rises in abundance, not through repression but through release. Life begets life. The more we yield to His indwelling presence, the more we live—not by our effort, but by His overcoming, resurrected, and spontaneous life.
The aim of spiritual pruning isn’t to keep us constantly bleeding—it’s to bring forth blossoms that bear the fragrance of Christ. We don’t live under the shadow of continual loss, but in the dawning light of resurrection gain.
📖 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit
You have already passed through death with Me. The cross is behind you. I have brought you through the pruning, through the dying to self, into the radiance of My life. You no longer need to stare at the withered branch or revisit the wound. It was necessary for a moment—but only to make room for something far greater: Me living through you.
You are alive to God in Christ Jesus. This is not a cycle of death, but a season of life. My life in you overflows not by your striving, but by your abiding. You are not meant to carry the heaviness of trying to suppress the old — it has been crucified. Now, yield to Me and live. Let your days be filled with the lightness of My overcoming power, not the weight of introspection.
I prune what is unfruitful, yes — but I also tenderly nourish what remains. I do not wound without purpose. I do not cut what I do not intend to fill. Now abide in Me, and My life will continue to bear fruit through you, naturally and joyfully.
Scripture references: John 15:2, Romans 6:11, Galatians 2:20, Romans 8:2, Colossians 3:3–4
🌼 Real-Life Analogy
After a heavy spring cleaning, the air in the house shifts. No more dust, no more clutter — the windows are thrown open, the sunlight pours in, and the home breathes again. There’s no need to repeat the scrubbing tomorrow. Now comes the living: laughter in the rooms, meals shared, songs playing softly in the background. The cleaning had a purpose—to make room for life to be enjoyed.
🙏 Prayer of Confidence
Father, I rest in the finished work of Christ and rejoice that I no longer live under the shadow of continual dying. You have made me alive in Him, and I walk now in the light of resurrection. Thank You for pruning what once hindered, and for faithfully nourishing what now bears fruit. I receive the life of Christ as my life, not by effort but by trust. And I rejoice that His life in me is free, overflowing, and complete.