With children going back to school, parents may have some concerns. Will their child’s teacher be patient, caring, and honest? Will the teacher be wise in assessing the true gift of their child? Will truth be the loudest voice in the classroom?

As a mother and grandmother, I understand these concerns. And even as a student, continually absorbing truth, my desire is to have the best teacher. For everyone saved by grace, there is no better teacher than the Holy Spirit. Additionally, God in His grace has blessed certain men and women with the gift of teaching. There are so many individuals who contributed to my growth in the truth of God’s Word, and none more than my steadfast husband!

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.”

John 15:4

As I continue in study of John 15, I hear my husband’s voice echoing in my mind: “The primary subject of Jesus’ teaching here is abiding, not bearing fruit.” And with the aide of Charles Swindoll’s New Testament Insights, two heads are better than one 😉

“Jesus instructed His followers to focus their attention on abiding rather than production.” Swindoll

The point: our responsibility is to abide! Ten times Jesus tells His disciples to “abide” in John 15:1-11. This is His desire for every believer. And only believers can be found “in Him.” As Christ-followers, we have the awesome responsibility to remain in close fellowship to our life-giving source by maintaining a posture of submission and dependence. Abiding in the vine means the proper nourishment will flow into our branch producing much fruit (v. 5). On the contrary, without submission and dependence, there will be little or no fruit (v. 5). In this regard, Swindoll points out, “while they do not cease to be grapevines, their health becomes suspect, and their identity might be questioned.” But through the abiding process we “receive nourishing sap, grow strong, and eventually bear unmistakable evidence of [our] identity as members of the vine (v. 8). Likewise, Galatians 5:22-24 enforces that fruit is indeed produced by the Holy Spirit, and not us.

Fashioning my home to be a place of “abiding” comfort and joy is something I take seriously. Having a place where our children and spouses feel loved and accepted draws them home. We can be instrumental in providing life-giving nourishment when they feel beaten down by the world. But it takes availability, and it takes work. This is also true of “abiding in Him.”

“As the believer abides in … Jesus Christ, he or she begins to assume a Christlike character. The believer is transformed from the inside out. His or her mind dwells on the kinds of thoughts that God thinks. The believer’s heart begins to reflect the values of God.” Swindoll

When we abide in Christ, “we will accomplish our created purpose and easily be identified as healthy members of God’s family.” (v. 8) Swindoll

Colorado Springs, 2023