He Removes Any of My Branches That Don't Produce Fruit

John 15:2a (CEB) · Tending the Soul: Growing in Grace Through Three Questions

“He removes any of my branches that don’t produce fruit.” — John 15:2a (CEB)

This is the hard verse. Some things have to go. Not everything we carry is bearing fruit, and God loves us enough to cut what’s dead.

We hold onto things long past their season. The commitment that once gave life but now drains it. The identity that fit ten years ago but no longer matches who we’re becoming. The grudge we’ve nursed so long it feels like part of us. The habit that started as comfort and became a cage. We keep these branches because they’re familiar, because removing them feels like losing part of ourselves.

But the vineyard keeper sees what we can’t. A dead branch doesn’t just fail to produce, it diverts resources from the branches that could. It takes up space where new growth wants to emerge. Removal isn’t punishment. It’s making room.

The question isn’t whether there are dead branches in your life. There are. The question is whether you’ll cooperate with the vineyard keeper or fight to keep what’s already gone. What are you holding onto that stopped bearing fruit a long time ago?

Brave and loving God, show us the dead branches we’ve been protecting. Give us courage to release what no longer bears fruit and trust that removal makes room for new life. Amen.