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by Michelle J. Goff
Six specific times in His teaching, Jesus explains what it takes to be His disciple. The first three are found in Luke 14. The last three are found in John.
1. Jesus must be my number 1 priority. Period.
Luke 14:26, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
2. I have to die to myself daily.
Luke 14:27, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”
3. Everything I have is God’s. I am merely a steward of what He has loaned me while on earth.
Luke 14:33, “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
28For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.
Have I left my discipleship tower half-built? Am I following through with the initial commitment I made to Christ when I was baptized?
Let’s look at the other three explanations Jesus gave for how others will know we are His disciples.
4. Hold to His teaching and abide in His word.
John 8:31-32, “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”
5. Love one another.
John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
6. Bear fruit—be a disciple-making disciple.
John 15:8, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
When we simply look at this list of six characteristics, we may feel good about how we are loving others and doing our daily Bible reading. However, upon further inspection, we are cut to the heart and convicted to realize that we are not a good example of a disciple.
The Lord’s mercies are new every morning and His grace is great, but they are not provided as permission to neglect what it truly means to be a disciple.
What is a specific way you can make one of these characteristics a priority today? How can you encourage another Iron Rose Sister to live this out as she encourages you to be a faithful disciple of Christ?
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Written by Wendy Neill, Advancement Coordinator for Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Searcy, AR
I love birds. When I watch them, I am awed at God’s creativity and His attention to detail. The tiny, ruby-throated hummingbird can zoom past you, but stops instantly to hover or reverse direction. God gave parakeets, parrots, and macaws vibrant colors and even the ability to mimic human speech! That ability seems to serve no other purpose than to delight us, His children.
I recently moved into a different home and I am thrilled to have a sunroom office, looking out on two bird feeders. Bright red cardinals with their black masks are frequent visitors. I love watching them, but they also watch me! They hop on the bush right outside my window while I work, getting closer and closer. Then they tilt their little heads so they can get a good look at me. I realized the other day that by peering at me through the horizontal blinds on my windows, it must have appeared that I was the one in a cage! I laughed out loud and said “Well, I do feel like I am in a cage these days.”
The pandemic has forced many of us to stay home and to avoid social activities. I am an extrovert and I really miss being around people! All I do is work, eat, and sleep. I don’t leave my house for days at a time, and it feels like a cage.
But sometimes it is good to, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). It gives us time to reflect, and to redefine our priorities. We don’t have to feel trapped in a cage. We can ask the Father to show us what we can do to glorify Him in the midst of our isolation.
I have often been self-absorbed through this pandemic. Have you? By redefining priorities and asking God for help, we can find ways to reach out to others and encourage them. Writing a card, sending a text, calling just to catch up, getting on Zoom or FaceTime for a few minutes, or even meeting in person when possible, can really be a mutual encouragement. I personally found great joy in sending care packages to college students I didn’t even know during their quarantine in a lonely dorm room.
What are some ways you can break free from your “cage” to encourage others?