God Pruning me through Sufferings

Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." Without Jesus, I am a nobody however when I serve Christ as He is in me, I am somebody. Christ commanded me to love God and others with all of my heart, mind and soul; I am to live in the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.(see: Galatians 5:22). John 15 is an interesting chapter and I believe this chapter have strong ties to Romans 12:1-2 and Hebrews 12. "The Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a child." (Hebrews 12:6). Are we allowing God's will in pruning us so we will bear more fruit? As a Christian, we still can have sinful desires, foolish desires, proud desires and at the same time, have godly desires. Our human heart is very selfish. Our heart is the source of our emotions, thoughts and motives. Our heart is the place of conscience. Our heart is the part of our being where we desire, deliberate, and decide. Our self-interest motives conduct even though it is part of our fallen nature, the cross is a symbol of the selfless, others-centered life of Christ. Love alone can make our conduct acceptable to God. Our motives in our Christian life should be both holy and genuine. In the whole New Testament, what is the primary motive to be a Christian? We are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5). We are to offer our bodies as living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is our Spiritual act of Worship. We will not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by renewing of our minds with the Word of God. By understanding the Word of God, we will be able to test and approve what God's will is; His good, pleasing and perfect Will (Romans 12:1-2). We Christians are the branches that sometime will fail to bear fruit and this is where God will prune our fruitless branches. The fruitless branches are cut off from our life. Jesus is the vine and our vinedresser is the Father. God is pruning in the concept of purging. The word purge means "to cleanse", "to prune". God purges/prunes a branch that bears fruit (a Christian) so that it might bear more fruit (become spiritually mature). Our wonderful God removes sin or worldly distractions that would hinder our fruit-bearing because He wants us to bear godly fruit. Suffering is one of the best methods of purging (pruning). Purging (pruning) can be in various forms such as sickness, hardship, loss of material goods, slander and persecution, loss of loved ones, grief in relationships, or war. From my experiences, I have learned alot and God have pruned me so much over the years. In reality, I cannot expect to escape circumstances because they will always happen, one way or another. Without circumstances, my self-discovery will not be completed and my self-judgment will be biased and imperfect. This is why I am to work along with the Holy Spirit so that I may make amendments as the circumstances demand. By discovering who I am, I will also be finding whom I am not and whom I can be through Christ. My greatest teachers have been my circumstances because my greatest spiritual growth occurred in the most unfavorable of circumstances. When I am most aware of my weaknesses, I am more inclined to collapse into God's strength and experience His amazing grace. "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. 12:9). Having faith in God allows me to go as far as I can while trusting in God's grace to overcome the difficulties I face every day. God is asking me to stay strong in faith, keep at it, to carry on, to stick with it, as I trust in HIS possibilities. In doing so God will lift me above my circumstances as He develops my character. Bad things are never good and God never wants bad things to happen, but the Bible clearly repeated reminding me that God uses trials to work for our good for His Glory. Sometimes God allows us to suffer so He can refine us. Suffering purifies us like fire refines gold (1 Pet. 1:6-7). God will ultimately work out for my good and for His Glory. The Bible and the Holy Spirit clearly taught me that God didn't merely promise me that temporal good will come out of difficult situations but did promised that whatever I do during my trials that God will be with me and I will Glorify God. There is a every good reason for me to face circumstances and chronic pains. The reason is for me to work along with the Holy Spirit so that I can make changes in my life as the circumstances demand. That God already knows me thoroughly (Psa. 139:1-6) and He knows what is best for me. I will trust Him even though I will not always understand Him since He is God. I just need to remember of who He is that I can fully trust Him. Because I know that my suffering produces perseverance, character; and hope. Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.