Week 40 Bible Reading: John 15:1–5

My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. - John 15:1–2

Jenna loved her grandmother’s rose garden. All summer long, she watched the wild and sweet-smelling roses bloom.

Then came the first frost. It was time to lop off the roses and prune the branches. Why? As strange as it sounds, pruning roses is the only way for them to grow even more blooms the next year.

Just as pruning makes way for growth in roses, sometimes God needs to do some pruning in us. He is a good Gardener: “he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more” (John 15:1–2). He wants us to be fruitful!

Pruning can be uncomfortable, and sometimes it really hurts. God isn’t out to hurt us—but He can take any tough situation in our lives and use it for good. Everything, even the toughest stuff, can help us become more like our Savior, Jesus.

If you’re going through a hard time, have hope! God is growing something exquisitely beautiful inside of you. One day, you’ll see all that good fruit.