Pruning or Woodcutting?

Daily Bible reading and journaling is a part of my life. I have a notebook where I journal any insight God gives me from my daily Bible reading.Dutifully, I check off each day in my Bible reading plan.One day, I was feeling quite proud of myself as I surveyed my neatly checked list when God whispered in my heart, "Glenn, are you cutting wood or allowing My Word to prune you?" Ouch! I felt a gentle, loving twinge in my soul. I discovered I had turned a spiritual discipline into a woodcutting exercise. I was merely cutting wood for the cold winter days of my walk with God and not allowing the Word to prune out the dead wood of my life.

We can take a valuable spiritual discipline meant to shape us and mold us in our daily walk with God and turn it into a woodcutting exercise. When we do this we avoid allowing God to prune us, correct us, and shape us into who He wants us to be today. Pruning is about cutting away the dead wood in our lives for future fruitfulness. Woodcutting is about planning to sit comfortably in front of a warm fire when it gets cold.

There may be times when we need to cut wood and prepare for the cold winters of the soul. That is fine and well. Woodcutting, however, only supplies wood for burning. Daily devotions, however, are all about pruning for fruitfulness in our daily life. The fruitfulness may come today, next week, or next year. God determines our season of fruitfulness when we allow His Word to prune us.

In your daily devotions, are you pruning or woodcutting?

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Contributed by Glenn White
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