By Pastor Shana Wise
John 15:1-8, 16
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so, you will be My disciples.
16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.17 These things I command you, that you love one another.
Many ask the question, “Why me”? But God is challenging us with the question, “Why not
you”?
The process of God pruning us does not feel good. The way He chooses to get fruit from us can have us asking questions like, “Why am I going through this?”, “Will it ever stop?”, “What am I doing or not doing right?” For others of us, the process of pruning can have us feeling like we are on an emotional roller coaster, frustrated, irritated, tired, depressed, and feeling like giving up. The biggest challenge for us is that while the pruning process is taking place, God fixes it so that no matter how much we want to try to control the process, we can’t. We cannot choose what we go through, He does. God knows if He gave us the choice about what we would have to endure in life, that we would choose the easy way. None of us want to suffer. None of us want to experience pain, hurt, loss, sickness, heartache, or any other adversity in our life. However, if we think about what plants and trees must go through to produce fruit, it requires adversity. All plants that produce fruit must be planted on soil. They need the elements of the atmosphere (sun, rain, heat, time) to grow. Most plants do not produce fruit right away. Depending on the type of plant will determine the time it takes for the fruit to appear. The one who plants the fruit (through seeds, trees, bushes, or vines) is responsible for the healthiness and outcome of the fruit. It is on that person to take care of the fruit-producing plant. To get good fruit, a farmer may choose to use various types of fertilizer. Most fertilizer does not smell good or look good, but it helps the plant to produce more fruit and it helps the plant to grow strong and bigger than it would without the fertilizer. Many situations that we deal with in our lives feel or smell like fertilizer. It doesn’t look good, it doesn’t feel good, it doesn’t smell good; however, it is necessary to produce our faith in God. Good fruit trees and bushes have deep roots. These roots are developed over time, and they grow deeper the more adversity that the plant endures. If we look back over our lives and reflect on all the trials, tribulations, and challenges that we have overcome, with God, we can honestly say that it caused our roots of faith to grow deeper in him. Another thing that a good farmer does is to separate weeds from the fruit plants. They get rid of the weeds that can potentially choke out the fruit plant. The farmer also addresses any bugs that may be eating the leaves or the fruit of the tree.
In the same way, God will remove the things or people that are being a hindrance to you by not helping you to produce the fruit He intended for you to do. Yet, the way He does it may seem hard to understand or painful. If the plant happens to be a vine or a branch, then it must routinely get pruned and dead branches need to be taken off. Why? So that the plant can produce more fruit. If this process is not done, it can stunt the growth of the plant and the production of the fruit. It can also kill the plant itself if pruning is not done. A good farmer knows the work that he put into planting the various plants in the ground. He knows what it takes to produce fruit and he will protect his investment by taking care of the plant. Our Heavenly Father treats us the same way. We are his investment. We are his precious children. We are the fruit of his love. God loves us and he wants us to produce for His glory. He knows what it takes to get fruit from us. He knows that we need adversity to show up in our lives for us to grow. He allows it to happen not because he wants to punish us or because He wants to see us suffer. He does it because it causes us to grow deeper in our relationship with him. It causes us to see more revelations of the word manifest in our lives every time we overcome each adversity. Lastly, in John 15:16 Jesus said that we did not choose him, but he chose us, and he ordained us to bear fruit and our fruit shall remain. Why does God want our fruit to remain? It brings His heavenly glory to the earth. We are His vessels, we are His children, we are the chosen generation, we are the royal priesthood to display the good works of the kingdom here on earth. Every time we overcome adversity and we give glory to God; it not only strengthens our testimony, but we become the testimony. We are the witnesses of how we overcame through the blood of Jesus Christ. That’s why we can go to him and ask for whatever is in His name, and it shall be done.
Jesus answers us because we can display the glory of God and His Kingdom in our homes, communities, nations, and the world. The next time you are going through one of the biggest challenges of your life, instead of asking why me? Declare Why Not Me!
Remember You Were Chosen for This!
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About the Author
Dr. Shana Wise is an ordained Pastor and CEO of Wise Choice Ministries (est. 2016). She is the founder of The Well Christian Women’s Network formally known as Christian Women Preachers United. Dr. Wise is the author of women’s devotional, Acts of Intercession, The Impact of Your Election, and co-author of Basic Ministry Training Manual (available on Amazon) and Chief Women Arise. She received a Doctor of Divinity degree in 2019 from St. Thomas Christian University. Her passion is to teach and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, equip others to apply the Word to their lives, and demonstrate the Word through the power of the Holy Spirit. She is a televangelist that appears on social media outlets. Shana is married to Deacon Ron Wise and is the mother of four children.
For speaking engagements email: wisechoiceministries512@gmail.com.
Books available on Amazon:
Acts of Intercession
The Impact of Your Election
Basic Ministry Training Manual
Chief Women Arise
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