God's Way of Helping You Grow Through Pruning

Hey, carpool crew, whether you're zipping up your backpack, jumping into the carpool van, or you are just munching on some morning cereal. I'm Pastor Justin, and I'm so glad you're here. Have you ever seen someone cutting back branches on a tree or a bush in their yard? Maybe you thought, wait, don't chop it. Don't ruin it. But here's the secret. Pruning helps plants grow strong, and guess what? God does the same thing with us. Today's verse is from John chapter 15, verse two, and here's what it says. He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. In other words, if you're already growing in your faith, God will help you grow even more in your faith. But sometimes that means cutting back on stuff that gets in the way. Jesus said this while he was talking to his disciples near the end of his time here on Earth. They were walking past vineyards, places full of grape vines, and Jesus used what they saw to teach something powerful. He said he was like a vine, and we are like the branches, and God the father, he's the gardener. Gardeners prune branches to make the plant grow healthier, stronger, more fruitful. God does that with us because he loves us. If Jesus were riding right next to you, I think he'd say something like, there are good things growing in you. Let's keep that going. But to grow even better, stronger, bolder, braver, you might need to let go of some things. Maybe it's a distraction that pulls you away from prayer time with your family or reading your Bible or encouraging others with kindness. Jesus wouldn't scold you, and I'm not either. He'd help you see what's getting in the way and walk with you as you let it go. So what might God wanna prune in your life? Here's a couple possibilities. A bad attitude that keeps showing up, like complaining or comparing yourself to others all the time, or snapping back out of frustration to a parent or to a friend. A distraction, God might wanna prune back a distraction, like too much screen time that makes it hard to listen or pray or help around the house. Also, maybe a habit that isn't healthy. We all know habits like that, right? Maybe always needing to win no matter what. Or being afraid to say sorry or afraid to say no 'cause you think you're gonna disappoint people. Pruning isn't always fun, but it always leads to growth, and God is gentle with us. He prunes us because he wants us to become our best selves. He's not trying to take something good away. He's helping make room for something better. He wants your heart to be strong. He wants your relationship with God the father to be strong. He wants you to be more like Jesus every day in the hallways of your school, talking to your friends on the playground. When you're sitting at lunch and no one else is praying, but you bow your head quickly, just say a quick prayer to say thank you to God. He wants you to know that he is with you. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. Parents, if you love today's podcast, text it over to a friend. Let that parent listen to carpooling with Jesus with their kid too. And before you go answer this question together, what's something that might need pruning in your life and how could that help you grow in your faith? I'll see you tomorrow on carpooling with Jesus.