- What purpose does pruning serve in the believers life? John 15:2
- What is the prerequisite for being pruned? John 15:4-6 (to be made clean or to be attached to the vine)
- Why do we need to be pruned? What is the condition of our hearts? Jer17:9, Mark 7:21-22
- What attitude should we have as children of God about the state of our hearts? Psalm 139:23-24
- According to 2 Cor 5:17-21, we have been made new and have become the righteousness of God; why then do we need to undergo continuous consistent pruning/cleansing? 2 Cor 3:18, 2 Peter 1:3-7.
- Watch a five-minute video on the refining process employed in the refining of precious metals at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Ewy1BsYc8 and discuss the ultimate aim of Gods purging (pruning, cleansing, disciplining) among the Israelites and how it applies to us today? Isaiah 1:25-26, Malachi 3:3-4
Pruning: The Father’s role
My dear child, don’t shrug o God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either. It’s the child He loves that he disciplines, the child He embraces, He also corrects.
Hebrews 12 : 5b – 6
- What is God’s role in disciplining us? Is God with us during times of discipline? Job 5:17-22, Jeremiah 30:11; 46:28
- Who does God discipline? Hebrews 12:5-6, Deuteronomy 8:5
- According to Hebrews 12:10 & 14 why does God discipline us?
- How does God discipline us? What tool does God use in disciplining/teaching us? Deuteronomy 4:34-36, 2 Timothy 3:16-17
- What does the discipline of the Lord entail? Deuteronomy 11:2-7, Psalm 39:11
- Read Deuteronomy 8:2-5
- Why did god cause the Israelites to be hungry and thirsty in the desert?
- Does God discipline His children in similar ways today? Does God withhold certain blessings from us today? What is usually His intent?
- What assurance do we have from His word? Lamentations 3:31-36; Job 5:17-22
- What role does the word of God play in pruning us and making us disciplined? Hebrew 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“Christ cuts away the unusable in order to make us usable” – Anonymous