Abiding in the Vine

Whether we teach in an overtly Christian environment, a creative access environment, or somewhere in between, the reality is that our teaching can only reflect Kingdom life and principles to the extent that our own personal lives are grounded in Christ. If we are not taking the time and care to nurture our own walk with the Lord, we will not be able to give out of the overflow of our hearts. It won’t matter how well versed we are in theories of Biblical worldview integration, transformational pedagogy, or Christian practices, if we are not dwelling in Christ, and allowing His Holy Spirit to reign in our hearts our efforts will be for naught.

Jesus reminds us of this in John 15: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”[1]

As we enter the liturgical season of Lent, many of us may practice the disciplines of fasting and dedicated prayer as we remind our hearts of the sacrifice made at the cross on our behalf. For some of us, this practice may open doors for spiritual conversations to take place. Others of us may not see any tangible fruit from this experience, which shouldn’t lessen our desire to press in to the Lord in this and other ways.

My prayer for each of us this season is that however we choose to recognize Lent we would press into Jesus, that we would abide in Him, and that as a result our lives and our teaching ministries would bear much fruit for the glory of God and the furthering of His Kingdom here on earth.

Becky Hunsberger, M.Ed.
Coordinator of Teacher Education Services
TeachBeyond

Photo Credits: Grapevine, emily.jones0817 via Compfight cc.[1] John 15:1-4