Study and do your best to present
yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be
ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth. 2nd Timothy 2:15 (Amplified
Bible)
In our last devotional thoughts, I talked about what defines a disciple of Christ. Today let’s look at what demonstrates it.
These are:
Obedience.
That means allowing Him to be Lord of your life. “If you love Me, you’ll
do what I command.” John 14:15
Fellowship. Finding a church with believers who hold
to solid Biblical Scripture and doctrine, for encouragement and so much more (Hebrews 10:25).
Study.
Examining and learning the Word of God and becoming rooted and grounded
in the love and hope of the Christ (2nd Timothy 3:16, Ephesians 3:17).
Prayer
& meditation. Developing a regular ‘quiet time’ where you
can get alone, immerse yourself in the word of God, giving reflection on
knowing Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through meditation and prayer (Philippians
4:6, 1st Thessalonians 5:17).
These are
not exhaustive, of course. God has
revealed in Scripture He desires to have a personal relationship with us,
telling us we can know Him in a very real and vibrant way.
Saul, who
later became the Apostle Paul, trusted Christ and learned from Him after his
conversion, for an estimated 14 years before he was called to the work the Lord
called him to in Acts 9:15. We come to
faith in Christ in a moment, but live for Him for a lifetime.
He calls us
to just be obedient to His words and to do what He commands and learn of
Him. He will do the rest (Matthew 6:33). Discipleship is a personal calling, different
for many, yet in faith and obedience, the same for all. Trust Him and find
growth and maturity in Him and with other believers.
The German
theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, summed it up nicely when he said,
“Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” In truth, there’s no other way it can be
said.
Ken
