"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." (John 15:2)
"I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?" (Nehemiah 6:3)
I'm in edit mode these days, which I liken to self-pruning. God has given all of us a great work to do and we cannot afford to stop that work and come down or slow down for anything that distracts from that high calling. Of late, I've wrestled with commitment overload; information overload; and possession overload, just to name a few. I recently attended a Ministry Board meeting and as I listened to each Director describe exciting opportunities, I began to say to myself, "Wow, that sounds good. I should do that." But I can't. There are not enough hours in the day to participate in everything. Don't get me wrong. These are all good things; great things, but not everything good is God's best for ME. I've vowed to slow down and think and pray through each new request; and I've also begun the hard work of pruning and editing things out of my life and schedule. I just wish it was as easy as hitting the 'delete' key on the keyboard. :)
Today's prayer: "God, show me how to empty my hands of things I shouldn't have grabbed hold of. Help me prune and edit with excellence and integrity; truly giving up the things that are not your best for me; and yes, keeping the hard things if they are my calling. Your WORD cuts like a knife through the darkness. I need that precision-type pruning! I don't want to leave ragged edges for others to stumble on. I vow to help with the process; to do so willingly; and to allow you to do a thorough work in me. Thank you for your patience with this child."
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