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Discussion Forum : Devotional Thoughts : The knife! by J.R. Miller

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 The knife! by J.R. Miller


[b]The knife![/b]

(J. R. Miller, "Ministry of Comfort" 1898)

"He prunes every branch that produces fruit--so that it will produce more fruit." John 15:2

The gardener prunes the branches--but not without wise purpose. The Master's words, referring to this process in spiritual husbandry, are rich in their comfort for those on whom the knife is doing its painful work.

For one thing, we are told that "My Father is the gardener" (verse 1). We know that our Father loves us and would never do anything unloving or hurtful to His children. We know that He is infinitely wise, that He looks far on in our life, planning the largest and the best good for us, not for today only--but for all the future; and that what He does, is certainly the best which could be devised. In every time of sharp pruning, when the knife cuts deep and the pain is sore--it is an unspeakable comfort to read, "My Father is the gardener!"

Another inspiring thought in all such afflictions--is that it is the fruitful branch which the Father prunes. Sometimes godly people say when they are led through great trials, "Surely God does not love me--or He would not afflict me so sorely!" But it takes away all distressing thoughts about our trouble, to read the Master's words, "He prunes every branch that produces fruit." It is not punishment to which we are subjected--but pruning; and it is because we are fruitful that we are pruned.

Still another comfort here is revealed--in the object of the pruning, "He prunes every branch that produces fruit--so that it will produce more fruit." The one object of all God's pruning, is fruitfulness. The figure of pruning helps us to understand this. When one who knows nothing of such processes sees a man cutting away branch after branch of a tree or vine, it would seem to him that the work is destructive. But those who understand the object of the pruning--know that what the gardener is doing, will add to the vine's value and to its ultimate fruitfulness.

Pruning seems to be destroying the vine. The gardener appears to be cutting it all away. But he looks on into the future and knows that the final outcome will be the enrichment of its life, and greater abundance of fruit.


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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon

 2008/9/27 11:00Profile
Lordoitagain
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Joined: 2008/5/23
Posts: 632
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 Re: The knife! by J.R. Miller

Thanks for posting this article, brother. Often when it is time for another pruning, we forget these principles, and we don’t realize (at first) what is going on. Several times in my life, I have gone through the pruning process, and it always ends up with more fruitfulness. I read a tract many years ago of a lady missionary in India who had vigorously labored for many years and saw little fruit. She read some of (I believe it was) E. M. Bounds’ writings on making prayer the primary work and not a secondary work of our ministry. She decided to do that in her ministry. At first she worried that she would not get all of her work done. Somehow it all worked out. Eventually after months of making sure that prayer was her primary work . . . and all of her other busy duties were secondary to it . . . she began to see people get under conviction of sin, and repent. Eventually, MANY people were brought into the Kingdom of God as a result of the change in her priorities.

Often I’ve had SO MANY things going on “for the kingdom of God”, and God has had to come in and “snip, snip” cutting away ministerial activities or even at times dear friendships that I thought were very profitable. Often God allows carnal people in positions of man-endorsed authority to do the snipping, and they gloat in their misused and abused “authority” and feel proud of themselves for what they have done. The wise child of God will realize that these painful occurrences are all a part of God’s pruning process because He sees the potential for more fruitfulness. That is very comforting!

I’ve done a lot of horticultural pruning in my lifetime, and I’ve seen the vast wisdom of it. A plant that is pouring all of its energy into stem and leaf production will not put much vitality into fruit production. A plant with multitudes of stems and leaves may APPEAR very fruitful, but it may be as barren as the fig tree that Jesus cursed. Often our lives can get SO busy with ministerial activity, and all of our activities look GREAT, but we would be more productive if some of them were cut out.

A few years ago, God gave me a song on this subject. I hope that the words can be a blessing to someone.

THE FATHER’S PRUNING KNIFE

V. 1
Every Spring we watch them grow,
Yet each gardener always knows
Leafy stems in all directions cannot stay.
If those branches would bear fruit,
He must cut the tender shoots
Leaving just a few; it’s the only fruitful way.

CHORUS
Cut away the fruitless limbs,
Leave me just a few short stems,
Let this branch bear all the fruit that it can bear.
Useless efforts in my life
Need the Father’s pruning knife
Cutting closely in His perfect loving care.

V. 2

We’re the branches; He’s the vine,
Yet the Father draws the line
On the stems to which our energies will go.
Though not always understood,
Often works we think are good
Must be cut away, so the best of fruit can grow.

V. 3

In the wisdom of the Lord,
There’s abundance of reward.
When He does His work, it always turns out best.
Though His pruning may bring pain,
Oh what treasures it will gain.
All who yield to His perfect trimming will be blessed.


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Michael Strickland

 2008/9/27 23:34Profile





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