"Disciple" — mathetes — derives from the word math. It suggests thought along with effort. A disciple is a learner — a follower of the teaching and the teacher. Bible writers use it of the Apostles and later of Christians generally.
Nowadays we don't speak much of being disciples, at least not outside of formal instructions about discipleship from pastors and teachers. Why? Perhaps because it implies a relationship that is too radical for us modern westerners who like to keep our options open.
There is none of such holding back in Jesus' definition of discipleship. It involves:
- Self-denial and cross-bearing (Matthew 16:24).
- Renunciation (Luke 14:26 — part of our passage today).
- Leaving all (Luke 14:33 — our focus verse today).
- Perseverance (John 8:31)
- Fruitfulness (John 15:8).
I ask myself, by these descriptors, what kind of a disciple am I? What about you?
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please help me to be a disciple by Your definition. Show me where I am reserving parts of my life for myself.
MORE: His
"'If any man come to me and hate not... he cannot be My disciple,' not, he cannot be good and upright, but, he cannot be one over whom Jesus writes the word 'Mine.' Any one of the relationships Our Lord mentions may be a competitive relationship. I may prefer to belong to my mother, or to my wife, or to myself; then, says Jesus, you cannot be My disciple. This does not mean I will not be saved, but it does mean that I cannot be 'His'....Be entirely His."
— Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, today's reading.
Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.
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