From Believers to Disciples
Friday, January 12, 2007
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“Study to show yourself approved by God …” 2 Timothy 2:15a KJV
Prayer Focus for Today
Heavenly Father, today my focus in prayer is your Church around the world. I pray for the billions of people on this planet who claim Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and I pray that all of us together will move from being believers to being disciples. I pray that You will continue to pour out Your Holy Spirit on all flesh as You promised in the prophet Joel, and started to do on the day of Pentecost recorded in the Book of Acts! I pray that every man, woman and child who acknowledges Jesus Christ as Lord will be empowered to be witnesses for You that ALL may hear the Good News of His salvation and be given the opportunity to trust Him as Savior and 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 …
As we take one, final look at Luke 9:57-62, what are the lasting impressions this text makes on you?
Let’s Go Deeper in Our Walk with Jesus
If Luke 9:57-62 was the only Bible passage you had, what would you think it takes to move from being a believer to being a disciple? Why?
From Today’s Reading, a Disciple of Jesus Will …
What one daily habit would move you from being a believer to being a disciple as we live out 2007? What are you going to do to make this habit a reality?
Ministry, Mission, Outreach, Service Opportunities to Consider
If you’ve taken the opportunity to visit a nursing home or personal care home this week—great! If you haven’t you still have time. If you’ve already visited, what was it like? How did the residents respond to your visit? Is this a ministry that you believe God is calling you to carry out as part of your growth in being His disciple?
My Journal
Note any thoughts from Through the Bible or the Daily Reading here:
Growing and Going!
Being and living as a disciple of Jesus is tough! Jesus said so, and when we seek to be obedient to Him we find it out first hand. I’m thankful that Jesus was up front with us about the difficulty of following Him. Jesus never uses the old “bait and switch” technique where we’re promised something that seems great, only to be provided something of less value and quality when we actually pursue the promise. Jesus tells us up front that following Him is the most costly endeavor we may pursue in life—AND the most rewarding! We’re all going to live our lives in some manner with something or someone in control. Why not choose Jesus each day? After all, when we follow Him we’ll face challenges, but we’ll also have the source of strength to face and overcome them through His Spirit—AND we’ll be building lives that matter not only now, but for all of eternity!