March 19, 2026

Living Water Vineyard Devotion

Thursday

17 Days Until Resurrection Sunday

The Gardener Prunes the Branches

John 15:1–2

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The Gardener

Jesus says something important in John 15.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.”

— John 15:1

The picture Jesus gives us is simple.

The vine is Jesus.

The branches are us.

And the Father is the gardener who cares for the vineyard.

A gardener is not passive.

A gardener is actively shaping what grows.

This reminds me of a scene from The Karate Kid.

Daniel is trying to trim a bonsai tree and he’s struggling to figure out what it should look like.

Mr. Miyagi tells him something like:

“Close eyes. Imagine what tree should look like.”

The gardener sees something the rest of us can’t yet see.

He sees the finished picture.

Some bonsai trees have sold for over a million dollars because of the careful shaping and pruning that went into them.

That’s the picture Jesus gives us of the Father.

God is carefully shaping our lives.

He sees what we are becoming.

And sometimes that shaping involves pruning.

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Pruning Is Love

Jesus says in John 15:2:

“Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

Pruning is not punishment.

It’s love.

A gardener prunes because he wants the plant to grow stronger.

And in the Christian life there are often three types of pruning.

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1. Removing Dead Branches

The first type of pruning is removing dead branches.

These are things in our lives that block spiritual life.

Sometimes it’s sin.

Sometimes it’s habits that disconnect us from God.

For me, this was very personal.

I didn’t grow up in a Christian home.

Faith wasn’t part of our upbringing.

In fact, I remember when we were kids my mom would sometimes teach us to read horoscopes.

And I remember one Christmas getting a Ouija board as a gift.

At the time we didn’t think anything about it.

But the Bible is very clear about these practices.

Deuteronomy says:

“Let no one be found among you who practices divination or sorcery…

anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.”

— Deuteronomy 18:10–12

Those things are forms of divination.

The Bible calls them witchcraft.

And when I came to Christ, God began cutting those branches away from my life.

Another branch the Lord had to remove in my life was my language.

Before I came to Christ, my vocabulary could be pretty rough.

Profanity was normal.

But as I began walking with Jesus, the Holy Spirit began working on my heart.

Little by little, those branches were cut away.

Not because God was angry.

But because He wanted life to flow freely.

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2. Cutting Off Sucker Branches

The second type of pruning is something farmers call sucker branches.

These branches grow quickly.

They look impressive.

But they produce no fruit.

Instead, they drain energy from the plant.

They suck the life out of the vine.

Farmers remove them quickly because if they stay, they steal energy from the fruit that could grow.

Our lives can fill up with sucker branches too.

Things that aren’t necessarily sinful…

but they drain our attention and time.

Today some common sucker branches might be:

• endless phone scrolling

• constant news consumption

• social media distractions

• endless debates about politics

• busyness that produces little eternal fruit

They slowly pull our focus away from abiding in Christ.

Sometimes the gardener lovingly removes these things so we can focus again on what matters most.

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3. Even Fruit Gets Pruned

The third type of pruning can be the hardest to understand.

Sometimes the gardener prunes even fruit that is growing.

Here in Western Colorado we understand orchards.

Our valley is filled with peach trees and apple trees.

In the spring, orchard farmers will actually remove blossoms and even small peaches from branches.

At first that seems strange.

Why remove fruit?

Because if a branch holds too many peaches, none of them grow large.

The farmer removes some fruit so the remaining fruit grows stronger and healthier.

Sometimes God does the same thing in our lives.

And I know what that feels like.

For more than 22 years, I had the privilege of serving on staff at a church.

There was incredible ministry happening.

Amazing volunteers.

Thousands of people reached over the years.

There was so much beautiful fruit.

But in 2024, the Lord closed that chapter.

It felt like that branch was cut off.

It was painful.

It was confusing.

And for a season it didn’t make sense.

But then God began opening doors.

One by one.

It became clear that the Lord was preparing something new.

The planting of Living Water Vineyard.

And suddenly we started seeing things happen that only God could do.

A building was given for us to use.

People began showing up with the exact gifts needed.

Leaders for children’s ministry.

People gifted in worship.

People willing to run parking.

Volunteers who set up and tear down every week.

And now we’re watching people be baptized.

People coming out of addiction.

People experiencing healing and deliverance.

And I’ve realized something through all of that.

Sometimes the gardener prunes even good fruit…

so that greater fruit can grow.

Jesus said the Father is looking for fruit that lasts and brings glory to Him.

And sometimes that means pruning.

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The Heart of the Gardener

When Jesus says the Father is the gardener, He’s reminding us of something important.

God is not randomly cutting pieces out of our lives.

He is carefully shaping us.

He sees the finished picture.

He knows what we are becoming.

And every time the gardener prunes…

it’s so the branch can become more fruitful.

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The Invitation of Jesus

Jesus’ message in John 15 remains the same.

Remain in me.

Stay connected to the vine.

Because when we remain in Christ…

His life flows into us.

And fruit begins to grow.

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Reflection Questions

 1. Is there a dead branch in your life that the Lord may be asking you to remove?

 2. Are there sucker branches draining your time, attention, or spiritual focus?

 3. Is there something in your life that feels like painful pruning that God may be using to produce greater fruit?

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Closing Prayer

Lord,

Thank You that You are the loving Gardener of our lives.

You see what we cannot see.

You know what we are becoming.

When You remove something from our lives, help us trust that it is because You love us.

Give us the courage to let go of dead branches.

Give us wisdom to recognize the sucker branches that drain life from our walk with You.

And help us trust You even when You prune good things so greater fruit can grow.

Teach us to remain in Christ.

And let Your life flow through us so we can bear fruit that lasts and brings glory to You.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.