Purify, Prune, Grow, Repeat

I got a speeding ticket the other day! In a construction zone, no less. The normal speed was reduced because of the ongoing construction and I was happily going along the normal speed, or maybe a few miles over that 😬 when I saw those dreaded blue and red lights flashing in my review mirror.

Let me tell you I was thrilled by this, so excited to get a citation for speeding and having to pay my lovely town a big sum of cash for driving over the allotted speed. Couldn't be happier! I say all this through gritted teeth and obvious sarcasm. No, I am not happy about the ticket or having to pay the money, but the Bible tells me to count it all joy when I go through various trials (James 1:2). Granted this trial was of my own doing of breaking the law, I will admit it, but yet this verse states that I am to be happy when things don't go my way, whether it's of any fault of my own or not.

How are we supposed to do that? I for one will tell you, it's not easy. Life can throw you a few curve balls and you just want to duck and run and hide for cover.

But what if there is something I can learn from this? What if I chose to stop and listen to what God might be telling me through these trails. Hebrews 12:11 says this, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

A few months ago, I was in a car wreck.

What is it with me an vehicles?

That was not at all a pleasant experience for me and trust me I was not rejoicing or looking for any lessons after that awful experience. I was fine physically after a few short days of soreness, but emotionally and financially I was a wreck. Pardon the pun.

Shortly after this wreck I looked for God's guidance through His word and he spoke to me so I decided I better listen. He got my attention when I came across 1 Peter 1:6-7 which says, "So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world."

There's that "glad, joyful, happy through trials" thing again. But looky there. These trails will show you that your faith is genuine. It is being tested and purified. To purify means to remove contaminates from, purify or make clean. Just like purified water removes all of the bad, harmful chemicals from contaminated water, so do trials remove those harmful, selfish things that are getting in the way of me serving the Lord. It then builds my faith up and makes it stronger once I've seen that God has gotten me through each of those trails. There must be something in that old saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

I don't know much about the gold refining process. In a quick search I came across this. The final stage of gold production -- refining -- involves removing impurities that remain after the smelting process. Here we are once again having impurities removed. There is more science behind this process than I know, but I do know it has to be melted and broken down to be made into beautiful jewelry.

Pruning is another process done to maintain the growth of a plant and the growth of our faith. To prune in plants means to trim by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems, especially to increase fruitfulness and growth.

I'll admit, I,m not good with plants. In fact I've killed more than I have successfully kept alive. My thumb has no shades of green at all! One thing I do know is that most plants, especially the grapevine has to be pruned or cut back to grow healthy and produce more fruit. On a grapevine new buds appear on the current year's canes and will harden before winter. Pruning is very important, because you're choosing the buds that will produce the fruit for next year's harvest. The pruning encourages plants to thrive.

Jesus talks about this in John 15:1-2; 5. He says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 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. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

If you want to bear fruit in the kingdom of God you are going to have to be pruned. You will have to be trimmed by cutting away dead or overgrown egos, sins, evil desires, or maybe just plans that you have that are in contrast with God's plans for your life. And in this process you will increase fruitfulness and growth. Remember what Hebrews 12:11 says. That discipline produces a harvest of righteousness to those who are trained by it.

That's the thing. My faith needs to grow. I need to be producing fruits of righteousness. I need to be more like Christ in my everyday life. I think after all of these years that I'm starting to figure it out. God is trying to make me more like Jesus a little more everyday. But to do this He has to get rid of all of these impurities, these growths that do not reflect Christ. If Jesus is anything, he is completely pure and holy and I need to be more like him. If we look back in Hebrews 12, but in verse 10 this time, it says that, "God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness." I sure would like to share in His holiness.

Maybe that ticket I got and the wreck I had was to tell me that nothing is in my control and that I can only fully trust in God to take care of all of my needs.

So, today I will look at my trials as an opportunity to grow in my faith and try to count it all joy and the next time trials or discipline comes my way I hope I see it as an opportunity to grow. Our faith grows each time that we see God using those trials and discipline for our good and even if we do...it will happen again to provide another opportunity for growth. It's a process to become more like Christ.

Purify, prune, grow, repeat.