Christian Blogs, Millpond Ink Musing
Millpond Ink Musing, 2015 – Of Pruning and Grafting
Many, who suffer affliction or consequence for their actions, will ‘spiritualize’ their suffering. They do so by referring to it as God’s ‘pruning them.’ And, yes God chastens those whom He loves. Of course, our pruning or chastening is true if we are born again. As for myself – a Gentile? I am gratefully grafted into the root of the patriarchs: Abraham, Jacob and Isaac… Moses… Oh to have such a spiritual genealogy that led me to Jesus!
Bluntly, I must tell you that we must be of this tree and root stock; now abiding in Christ the true vine. For even as the patriarchs looked forward to Jesus Christ the Messiah; and they were made righteous by faith alone, even so we are made righteous by faith alone as we look back and repent of our sins.
As for the depth of the earth and the riches that our Patriarchal root has sunk, it is without measure for it is sunk deeply within the righteousness of God’s Law. We were grafted first through Adam into the Law, into the depth of sin and death, thankfully resulting in our humiliation and contrition. Afterward, as a matter of God’s calling and choosing, we are preserved and shall keep it. When not, God chastens and prunes us as we are on His vine.
Consider the depths of sin that the Apostle Paul saw in himself after seeing Jesus on the road to Damascus… Jesus! Oh, to see him! That is our first pruning, as we are brought low into repentance and contrition. Indeed, that first pruning initially draws us to Christ but that only starts the journey and our many pruning’s. Indeed, no man who merely places himself under the law; as driven by the natural light of conscience, can attach himself to that hallowed tree; even the cross…that dead staff that budded upon His resurrection and broke ground for all men to live! Yes, pruning is an ongoing and necessary work, but the question is, ‘who holds the shears? Is Christ in your life the true Shepherd? The Vine?’ Or are you attempting to spruce yourself up in the hope that you might attract His divine favor? Sorry, he who saves does the pruning.
