Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Living for God, means the necessity of becoming like Him. To have a relationship with Him, means pleasing Him. That doesn’t mean changing our whole personality or being someone we aren’t. The Bible talks about not being conformed to the world. The world is the domain of the devil. He is the prince of the air and of this world. He was kicked out of heaven because of the wickedness of his heart.
Some people, like myself, have had need of a complete makeover. I was beaten down and thrown away by those who should have loved me. I had a victim mentality, I had low self-esteem and no value. God has called each one of us to be His child. Children need to be taught. Living in this world, we learn many things contrary to the Word of God. We need to be taught His ways.
John 15:1-8; 1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot* bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing*. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein* is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
In verse 2 it tells us that God purges us. The meaning in Strong’s Concordance for the original Greek word for purgeth means: to cleanse, of filth impurity, etc., to prune trees and vines from useless shoots.
It says to prune trees and vines so I looked up the definition of the word pruning. As you read this, think of it in terms of what the Scriptures in John 15 are saying in regards to the children of God and how he purges/prunes us.
Pruning (Wikipedia; Pruning – Wikipedia)Pruning is a horticultural, arboricultural and silvicultural practice involving the selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots. Reasons to prune plants include deadwood removal, shaping (by controlling or redirecting growth), improving or sustaining health, reducing risk from falling branches, preparing nursery specimens for transplanting, and both harvesting and increasing the yield or quality of flowers and fruits.
The practice entails the targeted removal of diseased, damaged, dead, non-productive, structurally unsound, or otherwise unwanted plant material from crop and landscape plants.In general, the smaller the branch that is cut, the easier it is for a woody plant to compartmentalize the wound and thus limit the potential for pathogen intrusion and decay. It is therefore preferable to make any necessary formative structural pruning cuts to young plants, rather than removing large, poorly placed branches from mature plants.
Specialized pruning practices may be applied to certain plants, such as roses, fruit trees, and grapevines. It is important when pruning that the tree’s limbs are kept intact, as this is what helps the tree stay upright.[2] Different pruning techniques may be deployed on herbaceous plants than those used on perennial woody plants. Hedges, by design, are usually (but not exclusively) maintained by hedge trimming, rather than by pruning.
1. Deadwood: a branch or part of a tree that is dead. people or things that are no longer useful or productive. Synonyms: chaff, debris, dross, dust, garbage, junk, litter, offal, offscouring, raffle, refuse, riffraff, rubbish, scrap, trash, waste
2. transplanting or replanting is the technique of moving a plant from one location to another
3. Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields.
4. Targeted: to select as an object of attention or attack.
5. Diseased; a disorder in humans, animals, or plants with recognizable signs and often having a known cause
6. the smaller the branch that is cut, the easier it is. In other words, the longer the sin remains in us the harder it is to let go of it and the more painful when God removes it. The sooner we let go of whatever is unpleasing to God, the easier it will be
7. compartmentalize when trees are wounded, fungi infect the wounds, and the result is decayed wood. when a tree is wounded cells undergo changes to form “walls” around the wound, slowing or preventing the spread of disease and decay to the rest of the tree. (It is therefore preferable to make any necessary formative structural pruning cuts to young plants, rather than removing large, poorly placed branches from mature plants.)
We hear people tell us all the time to come to Jesus just as we are and that is true. But what they usually don’t tell us is that He doesn’t leave us as we are. The Bible tells us in Romans 12;2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
We have to become like He is. We cannot stay in this broken world, filled with sin. Once we receive Jesus into our hearts and lives, we will need to change. And contrary to what some churches will tell you, it is not the churches job to tell us what is wrong with us. Jesus will take care of that. The church’s job is to love us and help us. It is to preach the Bible and show us what the Bible says.
I do not want this article to scare people away from Jesus, but I also want people to know the truth. God is pure and holy and for those who want to spend eternity with Him, we have to allow Him to make us into His image. And let’s be honest, if we’ve been walking in the world, we are nowhere near His image. A relationship with Jesus is not just about us having to change. That is not the purpose of this article. God loves us. And again, He suffered and died a horrible death, paying the price of our sins. The least we should want to do is to let go of our desire for sin and allow Him to bless us and change us as He sees fit. I pray you will see and understand that. It isn’t a do this list or a don’t do this list of rules and regulations. It is about a Holy God who wants a people to call His own.
In regards to my own walk with Jesus, this process took time. It involved learning to think about my thoughts and not just letting them roam freely. I had to read and know God’s Word and see if my thoughts were in accordance to His Word. If my thoughts were about getting even with somebody or filled with hate, bitterness or jealousy, then I had to learn to stop thinking them. It isn’t easy. I had to learn that most of my thoughts were from the devil and not of God. I had to learn to think on things according to God’s Word.
Philippians 4:8; “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
What do you think about? Are they in line with God’s Word? As we change our thoughts, we are being transformed into His image, we are allowing ourselves to be purged of the sins of this world. As I allowed God to work in me this way, and it isn’t an easy process, but it is so worth it. It has allowed me to become closer to God. It has changed my life and has put joy and peace in my life that I never had before.
Crucified with Christ (Being purged)
