Weekly Devotion
October 12, 2025

Gentilly Pruned 
 John 15:1—5; 9—12 NLT
1“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 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. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.  9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.  

Last week I shared a devotional thought with you—“Deep Roots” based on Colossians 2:6—7. “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

In John 15 we discover another word picture given by Jesus explaining the importance of being firmly attached to the Grapevine—JESUS, with GOD, the FATHER as the Gardener who prunes the Little Branches—us believers—with the express purpose of enabling us to bear more fruit for His Kingdom. Sometimes the pruning may be a bit painful, but Jesus guarantees that we will flourish as we remain attached to Him, the Vine.

The text also repeatedly reminds us of how very important it is for us to Remain in ME, Remain in MY LOVE as JESUS’s love remains in us.

Let’s take a peak at John 15 from The Message version of scripture. It gives us some good word pictures of what it means to be branches securely attached to the VINE and what that produces in us.

4 “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you.
-Get comfortable & cozy living with Jesus—His desire is to have 24/7/365 home time with us.

5 When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. -Jesus desires a relationship with us that is intimate and organic, relaxed. Out of our special relationship, Jesus equips and supports us in our journey of faith in Him.

9“I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. -How to you feel when you read this verse? Imagine such great love that Jesus compares it to His perfect love with His Father. This is the love relationship He desires to have with us. It is the relationship that God intended when He created Adam & Eve and walked with them in the cool of the garden.

10 If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love.
-Our part in this super connection with Jesus is to keep His commands, particularly the ROOT command: LOVE ONE ANOTHER

11 I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature.
-JESUS purpose in stressing the need to have a relationship that abides in Him is so we experience His JOY—a JOY that is wholly mature in Him that leads to the life He desires for us—to be Holy as He is Holy.

As a little branch connected to Jesus, the Vine, how are you engaging in remaining or abiding in Him? During worship on Sundays the music team often invites us to join in the song “ABIDE” by Aaron Williams. This song speaks of our complete dependence on Jesus—Abide in Him the Vine—in this song prayer we are asking God to teach us to Abide.

You can find “Abide” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA-Wi4fdcVE&t=379s 


On my knees,
Kathy Pruden