Making Room for God's Best Susan Barnes
"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." John 15:2 NIV
When I was a young Christian, I had a pastor who was fond of reading A. W. Tozer books. On several occasions when he was preaching, he included this Tozer quote, "It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply". I didn't understand why Tozer would say that or why my pastor would agree with him. A loving God hurting people made no sense to me. I decided if Tozer wrote that kind of thing I wasn't going to read his books!
However Jesus tells us his Father is the Gardener. When we prune, we not only cut out the dead wood but sometimes it is necessary to cut back some of the new healthy branches. Sometimes these branches are going off on a tangent or simply sapping the plant of too much goodness without providing a benefit.
The same can be true of us. We might get excited about some new project we are about to undertake only to find that it is taken away from us. God is simply cutting off a branch that is going off on a tangent. Or perhaps it is a project that God knows requires too much of our time and energy.
If God only cut out the dead wood in our lives it wouldn't be a painful process, but unfortunately sometimes the good wood has to go in order to make room for God's best.
Susan, an Australian pastor's wife, regularly writes devotional thoughts on Bible passages, book reviews and inspirational articles. Contact | 
