"Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.' Immediately they left their nets and followed Him." Matthew 4:18-20
Happy New Year! It is my hope, trust and prayer that you and yours will have a blessed and prosperous 2017. Considering the year ahead, my thoughts have recently turned to what my spiritual focus will be. After much thought and prayer, the concept of discipleship rose to the surface.
There is no doubt we have all heard the word "disciple" though many may not be exactly sure of its meaning. Technically, it is a pupil, student or learner. An examination of the Scriptures reveals a more involved definition than that, however. For our Christian purposes, a disciple of Jesus is a person who has heard and responded to his gospel by learning and living his teachings and encouraging others to do likewise. The verbs have been emphasized because being a disciple of Christ is not a passive activity but involves doing.
Imagine being a fishermen (or any other type of worker for that matter) minding your own business when a man walks by and invites you to follow him with the promise of teaching you to be a better you while equipping you to save the lives of others. Would you answer the call? If so, why? If not, why not? Of course this is not just any man. The fishermen had previously met him and were convinced that he was the much awaited Messiah, the literal Son of God. Given the opportunity to follow him and learn from him, they dropped what they were doing and immediately accepted his invitation.
Beloved, the same invitation is extended to us today. If you are reading this, like as not, you have met Jesus. You know him. The question we must all ask ourselves is, have we truly accepted his invitation and are we truly following him? If we think the answer is yes, are we following him in a way that helps us fulfill the purpose of "learning and living his teachings and encouraging others to do likewise?" In those days, true disciples lived with their Rabbi or Master Teacher, learned what he taught, followed him wherever he went and did as he did and directed them to do. Is that a description of your Christian walk?
Throughout this year we will consider discipleship in general, and what it means as well as how to accomplish it, specifically. It is my hope that by year's end, we will all have both a better understanding and an improved walked as we follow our Savior as true disciples.
Pursuing discipleship,
Lee
Showing posts with label walk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label walk. Show all posts
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Let it Shine 3/19/2014
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16
One of the things I grew up with (and I suspect most kids did and still do) is to be sure to be in the house by the time the street lights came on. Why was this such an important rule in so many families? The simple answer is that it gets dark and in the words of my mom, "nothing good happens after dark." The implication was that those who were up to no good used the darkness as a cover and that I was not to be up to no good nor confused with anyone who was.
If you think about it, street lights were created to provide illumination against the dark, but their effect is limited. The admonition was to come into the house where it was and is safe and that the whole place could be lit up and the family could be together. Even if a room was dark, you turned on the light before entering.
Beloved, though there were no street lights in Jesus' day, forms of light against the darkness were available and he analogizes the exercising of our faith to them. It seems that the darkness of this world is ever increasing and there are more and more people up to no good. As Jesus beckoned us to come to the light that he himself is, he has also said that having been illuminated by him, we too are light. And as light, we can attract others from the darkness into the safety of the house of the Lord where all the family is located. We do this simply by sharing with others what he has shared with us.
Do you share your light with those in need of it or do you hide it so as not to attract a "bad element"? We must be willing to do just as Jesus has done: let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!
One,
Lee
One of the things I grew up with (and I suspect most kids did and still do) is to be sure to be in the house by the time the street lights came on. Why was this such an important rule in so many families? The simple answer is that it gets dark and in the words of my mom, "nothing good happens after dark." The implication was that those who were up to no good used the darkness as a cover and that I was not to be up to no good nor confused with anyone who was.
If you think about it, street lights were created to provide illumination against the dark, but their effect is limited. The admonition was to come into the house where it was and is safe and that the whole place could be lit up and the family could be together. Even if a room was dark, you turned on the light before entering.
Beloved, though there were no street lights in Jesus' day, forms of light against the darkness were available and he analogizes the exercising of our faith to them. It seems that the darkness of this world is ever increasing and there are more and more people up to no good. As Jesus beckoned us to come to the light that he himself is, he has also said that having been illuminated by him, we too are light. And as light, we can attract others from the darkness into the safety of the house of the Lord where all the family is located. We do this simply by sharing with others what he has shared with us.
Do you share your light with those in need of it or do you hide it so as not to attract a "bad element"? We must be willing to do just as Jesus has done: let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!
One,
Lee
Monday, January 20, 2014
A Walk to a Walk in the Park 1/20/2014
"The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat!" Numbers 11:4 (NIV)
The people of God were rescued from Egyptian slavery after toiling for 430 years. And while it may seem peculiar for them to have been in such a state, ti was during this time that the grew from a family of about 70 to over a million people. They also learned trades, craft, agriculture, administration and a host of other things that allowed them to become the nation God intended for them to be. God performed many miraculous feats among the people including the plagues on the Egyptians through which they were freed, their exodus through the Red Sea which was split by the wind He sent, He personally led them by cloud and fire and even fed them in the desert with manna from His own hand. Despite all this, the people seemed to be in a constant state of complaining, desiring to go back to Egypt...the same Egypt from whose slavery they desired to be free.
Despite the many miracles and proofs that God exists and provides, the people often could not think past their own stomachs. Though they were given bread from heaven, those who left Egypt began to complain about not having meat and vegetables. This was more than what was needed to spark the Hebrew complaints and laments about having left Egypt.
Beloved, these attitudes, actions and circumstances speak to us to this day. Before we obeyed the gospel, we were all slaves to sin. We were born with a sin nature and no way to shed it outside of obedience to the gospel. Through Jesus, God made a way for us to be saved, just as He had done through Moses for the people of Israel. When we obey the gospel and are freed, we are given a new life, first, of reconciliation with God and then, His provision, guidance and protection. We sometimes make the mistake of thinking that life will somehow become a walk in the park. This is something that God never promised, instead promising that He would be with us through whatever we may walk. This then causes some of us to miss our lives before Christ. We experience the desire to return to our pre-Christian activities (sin). And it is just as tragic for us today as we observe that it was for them.
Let us continue with God at all costs, and let us not be distracted by occasional difficulties. And though it is true that times may get rough now and then, remember that like the Hebrews, God is leading us to the promised land, a land overflowing with milk and honey. It is a land where we will ever be with Him and then, it will truly be a walk in the park.
One,
Lee
The people of God were rescued from Egyptian slavery after toiling for 430 years. And while it may seem peculiar for them to have been in such a state, ti was during this time that the grew from a family of about 70 to over a million people. They also learned trades, craft, agriculture, administration and a host of other things that allowed them to become the nation God intended for them to be. God performed many miraculous feats among the people including the plagues on the Egyptians through which they were freed, their exodus through the Red Sea which was split by the wind He sent, He personally led them by cloud and fire and even fed them in the desert with manna from His own hand. Despite all this, the people seemed to be in a constant state of complaining, desiring to go back to Egypt...the same Egypt from whose slavery they desired to be free.
Despite the many miracles and proofs that God exists and provides, the people often could not think past their own stomachs. Though they were given bread from heaven, those who left Egypt began to complain about not having meat and vegetables. This was more than what was needed to spark the Hebrew complaints and laments about having left Egypt.
Beloved, these attitudes, actions and circumstances speak to us to this day. Before we obeyed the gospel, we were all slaves to sin. We were born with a sin nature and no way to shed it outside of obedience to the gospel. Through Jesus, God made a way for us to be saved, just as He had done through Moses for the people of Israel. When we obey the gospel and are freed, we are given a new life, first, of reconciliation with God and then, His provision, guidance and protection. We sometimes make the mistake of thinking that life will somehow become a walk in the park. This is something that God never promised, instead promising that He would be with us through whatever we may walk. This then causes some of us to miss our lives before Christ. We experience the desire to return to our pre-Christian activities (sin). And it is just as tragic for us today as we observe that it was for them.
Let us continue with God at all costs, and let us not be distracted by occasional difficulties. And though it is true that times may get rough now and then, remember that like the Hebrews, God is leading us to the promised land, a land overflowing with milk and honey. It is a land where we will ever be with Him and then, it will truly be a walk in the park.
One,
Lee
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