While reading John 15:1-17 recently, the word “abide(s)” caught my attention. Of course I have read or heard this scripture many times over the years, but then I began to dig a little deeper. Jesus is speaking and teaching His followers by using the example of the vine and the branch, saying, in verse 1, that He is the true vine and His Father is the vinedresser; those who are not bearing fruit will be taken away, but those branches that are bearing fruit will be pruned that they may produce more fruit. And just how will there be “more fruit”?? By staying connected to the vine; Charles Stanley once said by just “hanging on the Vine”; abiding. Exactly how many times does the Lord use the word “abide” in this scripture? I counted 11 as I was reading the English Standard Version translation; the NIV uses the word “remain”; KJV and NKJV say “abide”.

And what does the word, “abide” really mean?? What is Jesus instructing us to do? I went to the online dictionary and looked up: abide:
1. tolerate, suffer, accept, bear, endure, put up with, take, stand, stomach;
2. last, continue, remain, survive, carry on, endure, persist, keep on

Preferring to accept the second meaning, I had to take notice that some of those listed as the first might also be applied as possibilities for the one who is “abiding” in Christ. I also thought of the word “dwell” as a meaning for abide and did see it in one of the other definitions.Thinking about dwelling and remaining in Christ and His words in us, reminded me of a story I heard once to describe the word, “abide.” Just as a tea bag just sits in the water (and most of the time it’s hot water) that flows through it to make the tea, we are to “abide” in Christ in all situations and as He flows through us, and lives His life through us, fruit will be produced. The tea bag doesn’t and can’t make the tea without “abiding” in the water, just resting there all the while. The tea bag doesn’t jump around or busying itself with making the tea, but remains, enduring the heat of the water until it turns into delightful, refreshing tea in the end. Remember Christ said, “…apart from me you can do nothing” (v.5).

These verses contain a few commands concerning “abiding”and “loving”: “Abide in me” v.4, “Abide in my love” v.9, “…love one another” v. 12, “…bear fruit…that should abide…ask the Father in my name” (abide and pray), v. 16. Remembering that these commands are not a choice, let’s go back and look at some of the results of “abiding”:
>Fruit bearing – “…As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (v. 4).
>Much fruit – “…Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit…” (v.5).
>Answers to prayer – “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (v.7); “…abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” (v. 16).
>The Father is glorified – “By this my Father is glorified, …bear much fruit…prove to be my disciples” (v.8).
>Obedience/Love – “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love…” (v.10); “These things I command you, so that you will love one another” (v. 17).
>Joy – “…that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (v.11).
>Called friends – “You are my friends if you do what I command you….I have called you friends…” (v. 14, 15).
>Chosen to bear fruit – “…I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide…” (discipling others) (v. 16).

As we depend on Christ, the Vine, living His life through us, the branches, He also gives us a promise of the fruit of His love and His joy in our lives, and His example to follow, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full”(vs. 10, 11).

Abide and be fruitful!

1 Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 (c) HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

DIGGING DEEPER
Psalm 139
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

Isaiah 29:13 …and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men…

One night a few weeks ago, I attended TNT (Text and Testimony) – which is our Wednesday evening service for the Colony men and guests. It is a precious time when the men have opportunity to share a text of Scripture and a testimony of what God has been doing in their lives. This particular evening, one of the men stood up and said, “I want to be a God-fearing man” which raised the question in my own mind. “Am I a God-fearing woman?” Really? Do I fear God? Or is it more an effort on my part to comply because I know I should rather than a true, biblical heart perspective that results in a genuine – holy – inspired fear of God? Let me answer my own question – I confess I am guilty of the former – compliance. My fear of God is more a commandment of men rather than an overflow of a sincere heart. Though I desire and yearn for a righteous fear of God, I am not there yet. How about you? Are you a God-fearing woman?

Diane

Diane Hunt is the Director of Addiction Recovery Ministries and Director of Development at America’s KESWICK. In addition to her Keswick responsibilities which keep her busy, she loves to read, write and teach, travel and laugh with her grandchildren. Diane has been married to her husband John over 25 years. She has 2 children, 2+ grandchildren, 3 step-children, and 7 step-grandchildren.

DIGGING DEEPER
Psalm 139
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.

For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. ~Heb. 6:13-20

“It is impossible for God to lie. He will keep his word. So I have His hope – hope, that no matter what the circumstances, struggles or yet unanswered prayers HE WILL KEEP HIS WORD. I can run to Him, find refuge in Him, look to the hope set before me IN and THROUGH Christ, and in the Presence, behind the veil, I can rest.”1

Sisters, are you having a day where your mind is troubled? Are you struggling to believe in the midst of circumstances which threaten to overwhelm? My encouragement to you is this: cling to hope!! You have an anchor for your soul which is both steadfast and sure and His name is JESUS!!

He was despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. ~ Isaiah 53:3-5

Stephanie Paul

Stephnie Paul, wife and mother of two grown children. An “intrument of change” in the Redeemer’s Hand, in the lives of wounded and hurting women. Currently serving as a part of the Addiciton Recovery Team at America’s Keswick as Woman of Character Program Administrator.

DIGGING DEEPER
Psalm 139
1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.

1 Sharon Misiak

This is the first week of 5 weeks where we will be considering and meditating on Psalm 139. Are you being blessed by meditating on Scripture? Have you been memorizing along with us? Let me encourage you to pick a verse or two that specifically speak to your heart and allow it to sink deeply into your spirit. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16) Let it touch you in the innermost part of your spirit. Breathe deeply.

1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

Commentary:”This intensely personal, Davidic psalm expresses the psalmist’s awe that God knew him, even to the minutest detail. David might have remembered the Lord’s words, ‘the Lord looks a the heart’ (1 Sam. 16:7). The exact occasion is unknown. I. God’s Omniscience (139:1-6) II. God’s Omnipresence (139:7-12) III. God’s Ominpotence (139:13-18)IV. David’s Obedience (139:19-24)” [The MacArthur Bible Commentary: John MacArthur].

Diane Hunt is the Director of Addiction Recovery Ministries and Director of Development at America’s KESWICK. In addition to her Keswick responsibilities which keep her busy, she loves to read, write and teach, travel and laugh with her grandchildren. Diane has been married to her husband John over 25 years. She has 2 children, 2+ grandchildren, 3 step-children, and 7 step-grandchildren.

The LORD made this phrase pop out at me as I was reading Psalm 116. “To Thee I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and call upon the name of the LORD” (vs. 17). When you read that phrase, would you think that those two words would be put together in the same sentence?! Think about how different and opposed they are to one another!

Sacrifice: a. destruction or SURRENDER of something for the sake of something else. b. something GIVEN UP or lost.
Thanksgiving: 1. The act of giving thanks
Thanks: Kindly or GRATEFUL thoughts

Ok, so here we have it: surrender, giving up and grateful thoughts. HOW do they go TOGETHER?

When we are in a difficult situation in life, the LAST thing you want to do is…give thanks, and THAT is why I think God calls it a SACRIFICE of thanksgiving…

May our hearts ponder His truth.

Sue Mercer
WOC Graduate

DIGGING DEEPER
Psalm 128
5 The LORD bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!

Yesterday I shared, “Is Your Imagination Working Overtime?” Well, today I want to talk about the positive place the righteous imagination should have in the Christian’s life.

Many Christians realize while some of the things we hear and see through the cults may well be real, the power source is Satan rather than God. Since it is rather scary for most of us to think too long about Satan, many in the Christian world have simply decided to throw out all supernatural, assuming it is all satanic. When we do that, Christianity itself becomes more a pared down, mechanical routine than an exciting, beyond-our-understanding kind of experience. Today, it seems if we can’t explain it, we negate it.

In the yesterday’s devotional, I quoted the verse, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.” Oswald Chambers presents a different view of this verse for me: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose imagination is stayed on Thee” (Isaiah 26:3, R.V. margin). In his devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, Chambers asks: “Is your imagination stayed on God or is it starved? The starvation of the imagination is one of the most fruitful sources of exhaustion and sapping in a worker’s life. If you have never used your imagination to put yourself before God, begin to do it now…Imagination is the greatest gift God has given us and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him.”1

Let me give you some examples of how we can utilize our imagination in getting to know God better. “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine” (John 10:14). “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him and delivers them” (Psalm 34:7). What do these verses mean to you? What pictures do they bring to your mind? For me, I see Jesus always with me. I don’t think of Him just dwelling in my heart, but He is with me. He walks beside me. He takes my hand and leads me. He listens as I speak. He sits in the front row and encourages me as I speak. His eyes sadden when I fail Him and brighten when I please Him just as a father’s should. Is the Word alive to you? Is Jesus alive to you? Ask God to allow your righteous imagination to become active in a way that will give you some excitement in your Christian walk. Keep your imagination stayed on Him and let His Word come alive in your life. In your prayer time today, ask God to allow your imagination to become righteously active. What picture do you get from the verses I included above?2 Dedicate your imagination for God to use positively rather than Satan to use negatively.

Marilyn Willett Heavilin

Marilyn is a wife and mother, author, and international conference and retreat speaker. She and her husband Glen serve as Counselors-in-Residence at America’s KESWICK during the summer months.

DIGGING DEEPER
Psalm 128:3-4
3Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the LORD.

1 Chambers, Oswald, My Utmost for His Highest
2 Portions of this article were taken from I’m Listening, Lord, by Marilyn Willett Heavilin, pages 27-32.

Our son, Matt, has often said, “Our family can go into Grief Mode at the drop of a hat.” Unfortunately, he is right. If the phone rings at an unexpected hour, my first thought is “Someone died.” Before I answer the phone, I can be planning a funeral. If one of our children is not home by the expected hour, I immediately start imagining they are in trouble. If someone states that they need to talk to me, I immediately imagine I am in trouble. I spend the ensuing time thinking, “What did I do wrong?”

A verse that I often quote is Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusts in You.” Recently as I was reading My Utmost for His Highest, Chambers presents a different view of this verse for me: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose imagination is stayed on Thee” (Isaiah 26:3, R.V. margin). As I studied the commentaries and research books, I learned that many times, especially in the Old Testament, the words mind and imagination are considered to be interchangeable. The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge by R. A. Torrey states that the usage of mind can be interchanged with thought or imagination. So now the Lord wants me to give Him my imagination as well as my mind? How do I do that? When the phone rings, I must give my imagination over to Jesus. No more planning quickly how I will deal with the bad news that is possibly waiting for me as I answer the phone. I am learning to thank God for whatever news might be waiting for me. I can count on Him to walk with me all of the way through the situation. My mother often said, “Remember, it came to pass; it didn’t come to stay!” Turn your imagination over to Him. Ask God to step into your imaginations with you. Don’t let your imagination control you.

Marilyn Willett Heavilin

Marilyn is a wife and mother, author, and international conference and retreat speaker. She and her husband Glen serve as Counselors-in-Residence at America’s KESWICK during the summer months.

DIGGING DEEPER
Psalm 128:1-2
1 Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!
2You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

Our focus this summer is Digging Deeper into God’s Word. Are you taking, making time to ingest God’s Word? To meditate and savor it? You may say you don’t have time, you’re too busy. I was reminded again this week that we do what is most important to us at any given moment. I have told myself that sometimes my schedule makes it hard to spend time with the Lord, in His Word. I’m just letting myself off the hook. If it was most important to me, I know there would be time. I always find time to eat. I want spending time with Jesus, in the Word, to be of as vital to me as my next breath. How eager are you to Dig Deeper into God’s Word? Take a step today, feeble or not, take time to be in the Word.

Our meditation passage this week is Psalm 128:1-5.
1 Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!
2You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
3Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the LORD.
5 The LORD bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!

COMMENTARY:”This… is a psalm for families. In that we were taught that the prosperity of our families depends upon the blessing of God; in this we are taught that the only way to obtain that blessing which will make our families comfortable is to live in the fear of God and in obedience to him. Those that do so, in general, shall be blessed…In particular, I. They shall be prosperous and successful in their employments, ver. 2. II. Their relations shall be agreeable, ver. 3. III.They shall live to see their families brought up, ver. 6. IV. They shall have the satisfaction of seeing the church of God in a flourishing condition, ver. 5, 6.” [Matthew Henry’s Commentary in One Volume, pg.117].

Diane Hunt is the Director of Addiction Recovery Ministries and Director of Development at America’s KESWICK. In addition to her Keswick responsibilities which keep her busy, she loves to read, write and teach, travel and laugh with her grandchildren. Diane has been married to her husband John over 25 years. She has 2 children, 2+ grandchildren, 3 step-children, and 7 step-grandchildren.

1Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
2It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.
3Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
4Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth.
5Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Points to Ponder: How interesting that the Psalmist combines verses on restlessness, anxious toil, sleeplessness, and the blessing of children. If you are a parent you surely have lost sleep over your children, whether it was due to crying, hungry newborns, a sick toddler, or a late night waiting for your new driver coming home. Oh, I remember those sleepless nights. God’s Word says children are a heritage from the LORD, a reward. Many times it sure doesn’t FEEL like a reward. A wise man (Jack Noel) once told me that our children are the LORD’s. They are only on loan to us and we are to serve as good stewards in their lives. That really impacted me, because there were times I would go to the LORD and ask what He wanted me to do with HIS child. We cannot possess our children. They are the LORD’S. That brings relief and rest knowing that God has never taken His eyes off of our children and He is more interested in their well-being than we are. He also has the power to change and transform them. We do not. The greatest gift you can give your children, especially your adult or near-adult children, is to pray for them. Be blessed today, Mom. Ours is a great calling.

Diane Hunt is the Director of Addiction Recovery Ministries and Director of Development at America’s KESWICK. In addition to her Keswick responsibilities which keep her busy, she loves to read, write and teach, travel and laugh with her grandchildren. Diane has been married to her husband John over 25 years. She has 2 children, 2+ grandchildren, 3 step-children, and 7 step-grandchildren.

Join us this week for Victory Week 5 with Rev. Tony Hart and Rev. Wilbur Winborne. If you’re unable to join us in person, watch live at www.americaskeswick.org Monday through Thursday at 9:30 am and 7:00 pm.

A few years ago, I had an opportunity to have some of my writing critiqued by some Christian editors. One in particular was a past Victory Call: “My Neighbor the Evangelist.” It refers to a conversation I had with my then, five-year-old neighbor, who I believe has the gift of evangelism.

In the Victory Call I quoted her saying that she was so glad she would be with God forever some day, but was especially thrilled she wouldn’t go to hell which she explained to me was a burning lake of fire. She was speaking the truth written in the book of Revelation. If anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life he was thrown into the lake of fire. Rev. 20:15

Unfortunately, for the editor of this Christian publication, it was a bit too “negative” as she put it. She suggested I focus a bit more on the positive, like heaven. I guess you could look at it that way. Or…you could praise the Lord for the truth. We are all sinners, and the wages for our sin is death. Oops, I’m also not really supposed to say “we”…OK, I am a sinner and the wages for my sin is death. But wait a minute… that’s only part of the truth. You deserve the whole truth. You are a sinner and the wages for your sin is death. But the Good News is that we all have had our debt paid by the spilled blood of Jesus Christ. Believing in that sets us FREE! Oh no, I wasn’t supposed to mention “blood” either. Are you offended? Don’t be. Be grateful! God loved us enough to send His Son. I love you enough to tell you the whole truth!

Oh taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Psalm 34:8

Now that is palatable.

Dina Seaton

Dina serves on staff in Marketing and as a staff writer. She is currently working on her first book, Do It Again LORD, Do It Again…
DIGGING DEEPER

Psalm 27
5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.