Back to Basics- Part 1

1 Corinthians 12:14-18 “For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.”

This week Michael writes: Living the Christian life is dependent on the basics. A disciple is a disciplined follower of the Master. The discipline is in the details.  It is deliberate, intentional and purposeful. In the game of life, the odds are that the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win. Each team member must master the fundamentals. The winning team depends on each individual to do his own job because they are truly interdependent. 

The Lord's army is a team. Each individual with their unique gifts must be disciplined to become like Christ. The soldier's commitment is to do exactly what his commanding officer says to do. Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, that you love one another." When we identify with Jesus Christ, our purpose is to align our hearts with His heart ... to delight ourselves in the Lord to will and to do of His good pleasure. When we're living by faith, the God-rejecting world system will say that we're impractical and illogical. The secular humanistic world's way is diametrically opposed to the Word's way. 

Psalm 1:1-3 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”

A winning team needs a plan. However, the best plan is His plan and not our own plan.  To conform to the will of the Lord, we must surrender our pride in order to follow our commander in chief.  Psalm 31:15-17 says, “My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me. Make Your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies’ sake. Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You; Let the wicked be ashamed; Let them be silent in the grave.” Our job is not to question the destination but rather to walk with Him one step at a time. The first and great commandment is to have no other gods between my face and God's face. God is looking for faithfulness and commitment from those who profess to follow Christ. We've been called to sacrifice, surrender, bow down and submit our hearts under the mighty hand of our Heavenly Father, Lord God. Jesus Christ himself is our commander in Chief.  

Let’s continue Michael’s message on being a disciplined follower of Jesus Christ on the next post.