Can we do Monday School on Friday? I think so. I’m beginning a new series soon and want to finish out my thoughts on the Bible study I started several weeks ago before I go on a Monday School break.
I finished the No Other Gods Bible study by Kelly Minter almost two weeks ago. Over the course of the eight-week study, we spent most of our time in the Old Testament, but we ended up in the New Testament with Jesus in the Gospel of John chapter 15.
The last few days of the study we went over and over John chapter 15:1-17. Whether you’re familiar with the passage or not, I urge you to read and reread it, and from various versions. God is described as the Vinedresser, a Farmer, or Gardener in the different translations, and the image of One caring tenderly for what’s His is at the heart of the first part of the passage.
These verses are full of remarkable truths but I point out three that show the attentiveness of our Vinedresser.
- The Vinedresser prunes the branches which bear fruit and Jesus tells us why in verse two: so that it will produce even more fruit.
- In verse 15, Jesus tells his disciples he no longer calls them servants, but friends. He lets them know what his Father makes known to Him.
- In the next verse, Jesus tells them they didn’t choose him. He chose them and sent them to bear fruit.
We tend to pursue lesser loves, cling to false idols, and forget the faithfulness of the Faithful One. What better way to end our study than turning our eyes back to Jesus, the One and Only.
But remember the root command: Love one another.
Jesus, John 15:17 MSG
Photo by Ranjith Solomon on Unsplash
