In my most recent post I indicated that we must get our hands “dirty” by working hard at this thing called discipleship – walking beside someone to help them grow in Christ-likeness. The reason we must do this is that:
“The fundamental way that we are going to see Jesus save people across the globe is through discipleship…. the good old fashioned, life-on-life, person-to-person, dirty, messy process of teaching people to obey all that Jesus had commanded. Showing people with our words and our lives how to follow and magnify the Risen Savior” (Kevin Peck).
And if our calling is to make disciples who are obedient to Christ, then we must be models of obedience to Christ. Do you consider yourself a model in this area for others? You strive to be an expert in your field of business. You strive to be the most knowledgeable and capable person at what you are being paid to do. Yet the One who created you has called you to be an expert in discipleship and disciple-making. How well are you excelling in this area?
As disciples and disciple-makers, we must be willing to do God’s will even if it hurts. Putting others first – putting their interests above our own – is not something we are very good at. We think others should make us the center of the universe. But that is not the model that Jesus provided to us – this One who put my interests ahead of His own and left Heaven to come serve me. If He did that for me, then why do I have such a hard time putting your interests ahead of mine? Jesus tells us to serve like He did.
Let me give some practical example of what putting others first might look like.
That might mean rethinking your Marriage Contract as a Marriage Covenant … and instead of asking your spouse “what have you done for me today”, constantly having the attitude of “what can I do for you today?”
Becoming a discipleship expert might mean it is time for you to engage in Forgiveness – forgiving others as Jesus told Peter to do – always and completely. Who do you need to forgive? Your spouse, a family member, a coworker, a neighbor?
Or discipleship might mean Apologizing – How many of us have known people who, when they made mistakes, refused to apologize even when they knew they were wrong? How many of us are like that right now? Some of us need to throw away our pride and apologize to some people we know we have hurt.
Matthew Henry stated: “Those who are best prepared for the life to come are those that hold most loosely to this present life.”
Let us hold loosely to this life and hold on so desperately tight to Jesus, so much so that we are willing to be obedient to His command to serve others even if it hurts. Let us strive to be experts in discipleship – including putting others first.
I only named three discipleship areas we may be neglecting. What other discipleship qualities have we possible neglected and need to re-instill in our Christian walk?
