Nancy Leigh DeMoss: Whenever I see a gardener cut away extra growth, everything looks so barren. For a little while the plants are less attractive than they were before. But we trust that pruning will eventually make the plants fuller and more beautiful.

Jesus compares pruning with some of the problems that come into our lives. He says, “I am the vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch that bears fruit, He prunes.”

If we want to bear fruit, we need to accept God’s chastening hand in our lives. But if we try to run from our problems or resent them, we’ll end up like dry, shriveled branches.

Do you want God’s fullness and beauty to be seen in your life? Even if those plans involve some pruning shears?

With Seeking Him, I’m Nancy Leigh DeMoss.