Discipleship

Oh, goodness ... there are so many things in Scripture that point to Jesus calling us to be disciples of his -- specific passages and broad themes. There is, of course, the "Great Commission" found at the end of Matthew: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20a)

I prefer the powerful message in Luke 14:25-35. The message of these passages is that the commitment to Christ must be total -- not some comfortable compromise. So many people who claim to be Christians are really half-hearted ... and I would include myself in that accounting.

Note: There's a frightening passage in Revelation where Christ is dictating a letter to the church of Laodicea: "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would that you were cold, or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to vomit you out of My mouth." (Revelation 3:15-16)

This theme of total commitment to Christ is echoed through Paul's epistles. (Paul was a living example of this ... all the way to death.) Many other Christian writers have touched on this message of complete surrender to Christ and living completely submitted to the will of the Spirit.

As I mentioned, I am not this type of Christian. My commitment is weak. Part of the problem is because I have no role model to look at and say, "There ... there's a picture of a true Christian." But I can't rest on that. Most of my problem is one of lack of trust, lack of true belief, and perhaps most important -- I've really not developed a prayer life capable of allowing myself to hear God speak to me. How can I know what God wants of my life if I never take the time to listen?

The Spirit has been convicting me a great deal of late ... He is telling me to seek God's direction, and to do so humbly and patiently. What that will mean for me I really can't say. But I know I want to follow (though I am afraid).

I probably didn't answer your question. I don't really have an answer, other than "I don't know, but I yearn to find out."