Summer is a busy time in the vineyard as by the end, another harvest will be completed by the grower.
During the harvest though, he already has a good idea of what the season has yielded. Entering into autumn and winter again, it’s preparation time for the next season. The leaves turn yellow and crimson, then they fall off leaving the canes leafless. He prunes the canes, cutting almost 90% of the old growth back to the head to allow for new growth in the new season.
When spring season arrives, the cycle begins. New growth begins to show life, and if the previous winter wasn’t too harsh, new growth springs to life very quickly. The grower has to watch for new buds growing in the right places, removing any growing in the wrong places. This ensures that all the new growth in all the right places receives maximum nutrients.
The grower trains new growth along the vine trellis - the main support structure to carry the weight of growth of foliage, and to maximise exposure to the sun. It is this careful and meticulous attention to the vines that maximises yield during the harvest.
Jesus said, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2).
During this holiday season, I pray that it will be a time to reflect on the season behind us and take stock of the fruit produced from living and abiding in Christ. He said for every fruit-producing branch, He will prune so it produces more fruit. We ought to look at any area of our lives that produced no fruit and be serious about cutting it away.
Let us prepare for the new season, be ready to train new growth according to His Word, and to maximise godly fruit from abiding in His love.
In His richest blessings,
Frank Po Ching