From Believers to Disciples
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
From Believers to Disciples Calendar
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A note about online study
“Study to show yourself approved by God …” 2 Timothy 2:15a KJV
Prayer Focus for Today
Heavenly Father, today the focus of my prayer is the staff of New Life. I pray for Pastor of Administration, Pat Fecich; for webservant, Lisa Johns, for Children’s Mininstries Facilitator, Shelly Rinamin; for Local Missions Facilitator, Karen Schiebel,and for Pastor Chris Marshall. I pray that You will strengthen them and give them wisdom. I pray that You will bless them and give them health. I pray that You will use them mightily in this New Year to glorify You and to advance Your kingdom. Bless and strengthen their families as well, Lord. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God’s Word Today: Luke 9:57-62
57As they were walking along someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you no matter where you go.”
58But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head.”
59He said to another person, “Come, be my disciple.”
The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
60Jesus replied, “Let those who are spiritually dead care for their own dead. Your duty is to go and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God.”
61Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”
62But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
From Today’s Reading, a Believer …
What does Jesus say a believer’s relationship with his or her family ought to be?
What analogy does Jesus use to demonstrate the commitment of a believer (or a lack of commitment?)
Let’s Go Deeper in Our Walk with Jesus
What areas in your life right now are keeping you from “putting your hand to the plow? Make a list below and then invest some time in prayer for God to remove them, and to give you strength to “keep plowing”:
From Today’s Reading, a Disciple of Jesus Will …
As we have been emphasizing being a disciple moves us past believing (an affirmation of the truth of Jesus’ being the Son of God and a separation of oneself from the world and committing oneself to obedience to Jesus) to the actual DOing or living of the life that identifies one as a follower of Jesus. From this week’s “God’s Word Today” what “action items” do you see that you need to implement in your life in order to move from believing to being a disciple?
Ministry, Mission, Outreach, Service Opportunities to Consider
Did you take the opportunity to visit a nursing home or personal care facility yet, or have you made plans to do so? Remember, small acts done with great love in Jesus’ name transform the world!
My Journal
Note any thoughts from Through the Bible or the Daily Reading here:
Growing and Going!
Jesus seems really harsh as we look at the last person who committed to following Him, but who wanted to say, “Good-bye,” to his family. Jesus tells him that no one who “puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. Wow! Can anyone be a disciple? Yes, we can, but we must recognize that being a disciple is the first, and most important commitment of our lives. We cannot be “part-time” disciples. We cannot put Jesus first some of the time. He must be first ALWAYS. We must balance the truth in Luke 9:62 with the grace Jesus offers us in other parts of His teaching, but here Jesus wants us to recognize that just SAYING we will follow Him is not enough. He doesn’t want excuses for what is keeping us from putting Him first. He wants to be first! As we go about this day let’s remember that putting Jesus first is what moves us from being believers to being disciples!