“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” Jn. 15:1-2
If you are good at gardening and you grow tomato plants then you understand that you have to cut off what they call “suckers.” These suckers suck the nutrients from the plant and soil that would otherwise go to the fruit. My first several years of growing tomato plants I did not prune them and remove those suckers. My plants would grow real tall and bushy. It took forever for my tomatoes to ripen. You could say they were all plant but not much fruit. So too, if we don’t allow God to prune us by abiding in the vine, then we will stand tall and proud, but produce very little fruit.