This week, Michael writes: Lord give us disciples. Disciples of Jesus Christ who are willing to live and die for you, who name the name of Christ and live for His glory. Lord give us disciples. Disciples who know your voice and whose greatest delight is to do your will. Who are slow to anger, quick to listen, and eager to forgive. Lord give us disciples, Disciples who love their families and honor you in their homes; Who are living epistles of salt and light to all they know and meet. Disciples whose sacrifice, service, and love are renown and who are known to have spent time with you. Lord give us disciples! These kinds of disciples! For the world is desperate for them. Lord give us disciples, Disciples of faith and action, who have eternity in their hearts and only you as their focus, passion and reason for living. Disciples of whom the world is not worthy. Lord, these disciples are few, but they know that you use ordinary people to do extraordinary things through your power. That you use foolish people to shame the wise; weak people who because you become strong. People who are known more for their availability than for their ability. People who choose to decrease so that you may increase. Lord to me this seems like an impossible request, but these are the kind of disciples you make when they give their lives in total abandonment and absolute trust to you. Lord let me be a disciple like this among disciples like this. Lord let me be that disciple.
We’re the kind of disciples whom God has called from the darkness of this world into the glorious light of his gospel of truth. He has called us according to Mark 9:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.” They who enters into God’s inner chamber must enter in with personal abandonment and absolute trust. Before we can enter into His holy presence, we must trust Him absolutely. Absolute trust begins with prayer. Prayer is aligning my heart with His heart.
Absolute means without restrictions or qualifications. Absolute is fundamental, uncontaminated, unadulterated, pure, refined, without deviation from God’s exacting standard of truth. Only disciples who trust Him absolutely, who are not confused about the object of their trust can enter into God’s holy of holies. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.” Trusting in the Lord is indicated by your concept of the object of your trust. How confident are you of God and the integrity of his word? Most disciples are ashamed to be called “people of God.” Most disciples will look away when you call them “people of God.” When you ask them why, the usual response is “because I feel unworthy.” However, Jesus made me worthy and now by His grace, His mercy has made me His own.
A disciple of Christ is God’s child, who follows and learns from Jesus. The phrase “child of God” is the genitive of possession. Christianity is not who we are, but whose we are. For I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I but Christ lives in me, and the live that I now live, I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. According to 1 John 1:11-13, “These things have I written to you so that you may believe in the name of the Son of God, and that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe in the name of the Son of God.” To know Him is to love Him. Herein is the love of God made perfect .... we love Him because He first loved us. Without His loving us first, we could not have the capacity to love Him. The love of God is unlike the types of love in this world. Agape is the Greek word for God’s unconditional love. God’s spiritual unconditional love does not require love in return. Love is manifest in the pure act of giving. For God so loved the word that He gave His only begotten Son
Let's continue Michael's message on disciples of Jesus Christ in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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