To Abide: Through God's pruning knife #1.8
The Mystery of the True Vine by Andrew Murray
To Abide: through God’s pruning knife #1.8
By Olea Nel
Photograph below is of an old vine growing behind Andrew Murray’s childhood home in Graaff-Reinet
A topic we tend to avoid[image error]
For many of us, this is not a topic we like to hear about because we often conjure up strange ideas as to what God’s pruning knife actually is. In Andrew Murray’s day, especially in South Africa, most thought it was affliction. But Andrew questions this assumption by pointing to the fact that many Christians go through life free from both adversity and illness.
The WORD: God’s pruning knife
The answer, according to Andrew Murray, is the Word of God as described in Hebrews 4: 12. It states: “For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Turning his attention to those who are experiencing affliction, Andrew urges them to sanctify it through the discipline of the Word, just as St. Paul did with his thorn in the flesh. In this way they can make it become a blessing.
In St. Paul’s case, it was only when he received the following Word from the Lord: “My strength is made perfect in weakness,” that he was able to see the danger of self-exaltation, and be able to rejoice in his affliction.
Clean through the Word
Andrew Murray invites us to give up our own thoughts of what Christianity is, and to yield to the teaching of the Word by means of the Spirit.
Quoting Jesus’ words:" Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you" (John 15: 3), he urges us to study the Word as a hammer—that breaks and opens up; as a fire—that melts and refines; and as a sword—that lays bare and slays all that is of the flesh. Nevertheless, to study the Word in this way, we need to wait upon God so that He will be able to accomplish His cleansing work.
What does God prune in our lives? (It’s not what you think.)
According to Andrew Murray, God’s ultimate aim with pruning and cleansing is for us to bring forth more fruit (See John 15: 2). But what exactly does God prune in our lives? To answer this question, Andrew turns to the vine and the branches. He says that while other trees may need pruning, the branches of the vine must be pruned. The reason is that they would consume too much sap that should be allocated to fruit-bearing.
In a similar way, God does the same with us. It is therefore not only sin that God wishes to prune, says Andrew Murray, but our own Christian activity, especially our natural gifts that are in constant danger of being over-developed and trusted in.
The stripping away of self
For Andrew Murray, God’s ultimate aim is to strip away self as in self-pleasing, self-exultation, self-will—and any other “self” word one can think of—so that our old nature does not interfere with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This, of course, is a process of a life time. It is also one of Andrew’s key themes in many of his books. He raises it time and time again because it was only when he realized that self could not caste out self that the breakthrough came.
But more about this in my next post.
References
The Mystery of the True Vine: chapters 6 & 7.
First published in: http://www.onandrewmurray.com
Tags: The Mystery of the True Vine by Andrew Murray
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You may also be interested in reading the previous blogs in this series on Abide in Christ:
#1.1 When and why it was written.
#1.2 Background to the English version.
#1.4 What does it mean to abide?
#1.6 Having confidence that God will keep us
