DISCIPLESHIP… COUNTING THE COST

“A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, ‘If you want to be My disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else -- your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters -- yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be My disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple. But don’t begin until you count the cost.’”  (Luke 14:25-28a NLT)

In the corporate world, the phrase “the cost of doing business” is self-explanatory. There is an expected cost associated with leading or owning a business. It may be purchasing a building, paying employees, or buying a new vehicle, but I don’t know many people who jump into a life of discipleship and ask about the cost…

Living as if following Christ has no cost is like charging a credit card to its limit and then asking the bank to change the balance back to zero. Just as Paul wrote, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1–2)  Don’t get me wrong, discipleship is not a works-based system, but it does require our obedience and devotion.

Christians are fond of celebrating the lavish grace and unfailing compassion of Jesus, but we are sometimes hesitant to discuss the expectations of following Christ. But what a disservice to the Lord, especially as we remember that pain that He willingly endured so we could receive that grace. Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us that “salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you your life.” What is discipleship costing you right now? 

-- Excerpted from “Altar’d: The Transforming Power of Surrender” by Susan O. Kent 

#6237

SPIRITUAL PRIDE

“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”  (Romans 12:3 NIV)

We have an inborn persisting tendency to attribute to ourselves the successes of our spiritual life, the resistance we offer to temptation, the devotion we achieve, the discipline we keep, and the good works we do. Surely we thank God for all of that, but in our heart of hearts we congratulate ourselves on our exploits, and secretly worship our sword and bow. We take as done by us what is done by God in us; even obvious graces from heaven stick to the soul and seem after some time to be connatural to us and springing from us. That is the spiritual pride of the worst kind, and it really takes hold of the soul, it is enough to stop any spiritual progress at all. The disease is as dangerous as it is common. 

-- Carlos G. Valles in “Faith for Justice”

#5806

JOYFUL ADORATION

“Joyful, joyful, we adore You,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow'rs before You,
Op'ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!”  (Henry Van Dyke)

God desires that our relationship with Him isn’t lived out of a sense of duty as much as a sense of joyful devotion. In other words, God longs for us to long for Him. In the beauty of His presence, we can’t help but find our affections set on God, our hearts captivated by His love. Caught up in the delight of God, powerful feelings of joy and gratitude swell within us and our natural response is worship -- words of thanks that roll off the tongue, songs of adoration that spring from the heart, or some other creative form of joyful praise. When we give back to God, the One who has gifted us with all good things, we reflect His beauty. 

-- Adapted from “Pursuing God’s Beauty” by Margaret Feinberg

#5753

MATURE CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”  (Acts 2:42 NIV)

One aspect of the world that I have been able to identify as harmful to Christians is the assumption that anything worthwhile can be acquired at once. We assume that if something can be done at all, it can be done quickly and efficiently. Our attention spans have been conditioned by thirty-second commercials. Our sense of reality has been flattened by thirty-page abridgments.

It is not difficult in such a world to get a person interested in the message of the gospel; it is terrifically difficult to sustain the interest. Millions of people in our culture make decisions for Christ, but there is a dreadful attrition rate. Many claim to be born again, but the evidence for mature Christian discipleship is slim. In our kind of culture anything, even news about God, can be sold if it is packaged freshly; but when it loses its novelty, it goes on the garbage heap. There is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness. 

-- Eugene Peterson in “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction”

#5712

ROUTINE ACTS OF DEVOTION

“But as for you… pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”  (1 Timothy 6:11-12 NRSV)

A few years ago we started a praise band at church. In that context commitment took over where my desire has always tended to fall short. Simply put, I placed myself and my Ovation [guitar] in a position of discipline and encouragement, and my ability to play has grown accordingly.

It turns out my faith is a lot like that.

Being a disciple of Jesus is much like playing guitar in the band. While desire may be the spark that ignites the fire, my spiritual journey flames out with relative ease – all too readily and distressingly quickly. My love for God can also find its way into the closet, and there it gathers dust; God does not force His presence on me any more than my neglected instrument will leap into my hands to say, “Let’s play.”

There’s a lot to be said for showing up to play music with the band every week, for picking up my guitar every day, and for running through even the simplest songs of praise. In the middle of such routine acts of devotion, I often find that God’s love sneaks up on me unawares.

It’s that “long obedience in the same direction” idea. 

-- Derek Maul in “Get Real: A Spiritual Journey for Men”

#5711

PRAYER AND DEVOTION

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”  (Colossians 4:2 NLT)

Prayer is the creator as well as the channel of devotion. The spirit of devotion is the spirit of prayer.  Prayer and devotion are united as soul and body are united, as life and the heart are united.  There is no real prayer without devotion, no devotion without prayer. 

-- E. M. Bounds in “Power through Prayer”

#5025

GETTING RID OF IDOLS

“So Jacob told everyone in his household, ‘Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.’”  (Genesis 35:2-3  NLT)

The heart's slavish and dogged devotion to its idol is what fathers of the Church have called "the bondage of the will".  This bondage becomes most painfully apparent in our lives when we earnestly feel the need of changing but cannot; when we are attracted to another value that for one reason or another conflicts with the desires of our true god -- that value nearest and dearest to us.  But our true god lies so deeply inside us that often we are not even consciously aware of its presence or of what it actually is.

-- Robert L. Short in “The Parables of Peanuts”

#4943

A HEART-CONNECTION WITH GOD

"Be still, and know that I am God.”  (Psalm 46:10a)

God will give us a fresh vision of Himself each day if we take time to be with Him, if we will approach Him with a quiet and expectant heart…

True life change is the result of extended periods spent sitting at our Lord’s feet, listening to His words, and seeking His face. “Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always,” Israel’s poet said (Psalm 105:4). We cannot convince ourselves of His presence; we cannot make our hearts believe and make our eyes see. He must make His reinforcing presence real. “If you seek Him, He will be found by you” (1 Chronicles 28:9).

Something very significant happens through these established times of worship: we begin to gain a heart-connection with God. We come to love what He loves. We come to hate what He hates. We come to think what He thinks. We come to see what He sees. We begin to concern ourselves with His concerns.

-- David Roper in “A Beacon in the Darkness”


#4763

OUR LOVE FOR GOD

“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”  (Psalm 73:25-26 NKJV)

Nothing must become a rival to our love for God, even if it is something good. We sometimes have a tendency to let our service for Christ become a substitute for a longing heart to know Him more fully. To be active in missions work is a good thing. But to be so active in missions that one has little or no time to wait before God in prayer is to miss the point of true discipleship. Our first priority is an unhindered, unrushed experience of God, preferably in quietness and solitude. Then we can go from that experience renewed and energized to do the work of the Lord.

-- Jerry Mercer in “Cry Joy!”


#4750

THOSE WHO LOVE GOD

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  (Mark 12:30 NIV)

Those who are filled with an earthly love are ever thinking of the object of their attachment, their heart brims with affection for it, their mouth is full of its praises... Just so, those who love God are never weary of thinking about Him, living for Him, yearning for Him, and talking to Him.

-- Francis De Sales in “An Introduction to the Devout Life” (1608)


#4749

MRS. WHITE’S COMMITMENT

Her name was Mrs. White, and she spoke passionately about her work among the desperate and poor in India. Retiring after a lifetime of service, she had a million stories to share. She showed some slides, read from scriptures, told some stories, and touched a lot of hearts. The speaking tour was a kind of valedictory , one last opportunity to spread the news and to raise consciousness about the amazing work of the church going on halfway around the world.

Many in the congregation that evening were inspired. They wrote checks, gathered information, renewed their personal enthusiasm for missions, and added the important legacy of the retired missionary to their ongoing commitment  in prayer. Some even felt led by the Holy Spirit to consider a calling to work overseas.

“Mrs. White,” one man said as he stood up during question time, ”you must love India very deeply. I’m sure you’re going to miss that part of the world now that you have returned to the United States. I know it’s going to be very hard for you.”

“Not at all,” she smiled ruefully. “I hated every minute of it. It is the filthiest, most corrupt place I have ever seen. The people I worked with were disease-ridden and desperate. The conditions were deplorable. I lost my husband and one child to that terrible place. If I never go back there this side of eternity, it will be one day too soon.”

The silence in the church was deafening. The congregation was stunned, and the man who asked the question just stood there with his mouth hanging open. Everyone wondered if the wiry old lady with a kick in her attitude had maybe lost her mind.

“But,” she continued, after a theatrical pause, “for the sake of the love of Jesus I would go back there tomorrow.”

Tears rolled down the elderly missionary’s sun-wrinkled cheeks, and she gripped the sides of the podium tightly. Mrs. White fairly glowed with the radiance of devotion.

It wasn’t humanitarianism that drove her life’s work; it wasn’t the lure or romanticism of oversees service; and it wasn’t even a deep, abiding affection for the people she served that had ripened and matured over time. It was Jesus whom she loved and served. A deep, authentic love for God gave real teeth to Mrs. White’s commitment to be a disciple, and this love moved her from contemplation out into the world.

-- Derek Maul in “Get Real: A Spiritual Journey for Men”


#4629

DABBLING IN DISCIPLESHIP

“TO DABBLE: to undertake something superficially or without serious intent.” Most of us dabble at an endeavor from time to time. I used to dabble at stone polishing. I purchased rock tumblers and the various grits for each stage of the process. I polished batches of rocks for a couple of years. But over time, I lost interest. I could take it or leave it, and I pretty much left it. …. When we dabble, we spend time on something that really doesn’t affect or change us.

…Religious dabbling is alive and well among us. Some forms of church shopping today are little more than “dabbling” at discipleship. ‘Let’s see what this church can do for me and mine’ is not all that far removed from ‘let’s see whether Jesus will perform a sign for me’ [as Herod did in Luke 23:6-12]. Perhaps even more critical, some forms of faith involvement are little more than “dabbling” at discipleship. ‘As long as we don’t scratch beneath the surface of my life or the status quo around here, as long as all this “religious stuff” is not taken too seriously: everything will be all right.’

But will it? And will we?

Dabbling is all about keeping things on the surface. Discipleship goes deep into our world and into us. Dabbling is all about the momentary piquing of our curiosity before we move on to the next oddity that attracts -- or distracts -- our attention. Discipleship is all about fidelity that keeps faith with One whose presence is steady and whose call is demanding. Dabbling leaves us unaffected. Discipleship intends to change us at the core. Dabbling naturally leads to mocking the committed. Discipleship inevitably calls to living committed.

Which will it be for us? 

-- John Indermark in “Gospeled Lives”

#4550

LET YOUR WORK HONOR GOD

“Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”  (1 Corinthians 10:31b NIV)

Journalist William Zinsser’s first job was writing for the Buffalo News. Traditionally cub reporters often start by writing obituaries, but Zinsser was frustrated with his assignment. I could be doing Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporting, he thought to himself, and I’m stuck writing obituaries. Writers don’t win Pulitzers for obituaries. Finally he worked up enough courage and asked his editor, “When am I going to get some decent story assignments?”

“Listen, kid!” his crusty old editor growled at him. “Nothing you write will ever get read as carefully as what you are writing right now. You misspell a word, you mess up a date, and a family will be hurt. But you do justice to somebody’s grandmother, to somebody’s mom, you make a life sing, and they will be grateful forever. They will put your words in laminate.”

Things changed.

“I pledged I would make the extra calls,” Zinsser said. “I would ask the extra questions. I would go the extra mile.”

That is essentially from the Sermon on the Mount -- write obituaries for others as you would want others to write an obituary for you -- obituaries that deserved to be laminated -- because someday, somebody will. Zinsser eventually moved on to other kinds of writing, including a book on writing itself that has sold more than a million copies. But none of it would have happened if he had not devoted himself to obituaries.

-- John Ortberg in “The Me I Want to Be”


#4292

AN EFFORT OF THE WILL

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”  (Colossians 4:2 NIV)

Prayer is an effort of the will. After we have entered our secret place and have shut the door, the most difficult thing to do is to pray; we cannot get our minds into working order, and the first thing that conflicts is wandering thoughts… We must have a settled place for prayer, and when we get there, the plague of flies begins -- this must be done, that must be done.

-- Oswald Chambers in “My Utmost for His Highest”


#4248

FACING THE DAY WITH JESUS

"Be ready in the morning, and then come up... Present yourself to Me there on top of the mountain.  No one is to come with you."  (Exodus 34:2-3)

The morning is a critically important time of day.  You must never face the day until you have faced God, not look into the face of others until you have looked into His.  You cannot expect to be victorious, if you begin your day in your own strength alone. Begin the work of every day after having been influenced by a few reflective, quiet moments between your heart and God.  Do not meet with others, even the members of your own family, until you have first met with the great Guest and honored Companion of your life -- Jesus Christ. Meet with Him alone and regularly, having His Book of counsel open before you.  Then face the ordinary, and the unique, responsibilities of each day with the renewed influence and control of His character over all your actions.

-- L.B. Cowman in Streams in the Desert


#4024

TRANSFORMED

The whole purpose of a devotional life is to grow into what Christ wants us to be.  This means to be so much into Him, and to have Him so much into us, that we are transformed into the likeness of Christ.

-- Tony Campolo in Following Jesus Without Embarrassing God


#3608

CREATING SACRED SPACE

I recently read an article at www.rethinkchurch.org by Sophia Agtarap, a United Methodist deacon candidate, about creating sacred space in your home. In it she noted that "With the change in seasons comes the opportunity for a change not just in our schedules and wardrobes, but also in our physical, mental and spiritual spaces… This act of creating a sacred space, when done with purpose, can help move us into a deeper connection with ourselves, with God and with our physical environment." She goes on to suggest that while some might set aside a small room to transform, others may simply find a small corner of their space, however big or small.

What are those reminders of the sacred, of faith, that you might include? What are those reminders of love and fellowship, of peace and calm? What are those reminders of the beauty and uniqueness of God's creation? It may be a painting or photograph. It may be the warmth of a glowing candle or the simple shape of the cross. It may be that Bible your grandmother gave you, or a smooth stone from a walk along the lakeshore. "Whatever those pieces are that ground you, and tell you that you are beloved," she wrote, "assemble them to call to you so that whenever you pass them by, you are reminded that you are safe and you are loved."

 

On my photography website I have captured some images that you might want to consider in creating a sacred space for yourself. They have to do with sunsets and water, wood and stones, crosses and crucifixes, and Lent and Easter. I invite you to visit the various galleries on the website to see what might help you create a sacred space this Lenten season. 

 

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson 

David T Wilkinson Photography


#3390

CONTAGIOUS CHRISTIANS

By the quality of our inner lives I do not mean something characterized by ferocious intensity and strain.  I mean rather such a humble and genial devotedness as we find in the most loving of the saints.  I mean the quality which makes contagious Christians, makes people catch the love of God from you.

--  Evelyn Underhill


#3319

MOTHERS OF FAITH

"...a woman who honors the Lord deserves to be praised." Proverbs 31:30 (CEV)

The Bible is filled with the accomplishments and witness of mothers who honored the Lord by devoting themselves to God, as they sacrificed, took risks, experienced heartache and loss, as well as the joy that comes from putting trust and hope in the Lord God.

Sarah and Elizabeth became mothers at an advanced age; Hagar served as a surrogate mother; Naomi became a grandmother following a time of hardship and family distress; Hannah promised that she would dedicate her child to the Lord; the events surrounding the birth and ministry of Jesus show His mother, Mary, at His side; unnamed mothers made bold requests on behalf of their children...

Two women who are great examples of passing on the gift of faith are Lois and Eunice, the grandmother and mother of Timothy, who then spread the faith throughout his life as a companion of Paul. It was these two women who instilled in Timothy the power of God by who they were and how they lived. Timothy's upbringing was grounded in the Holy Scriptures.

Therefore, on this Mother's Day, let us praise remarkable women of faith -- those from Scripture and those we have known face-to-face. It is because of them that we have been brought to a knowledge of life well-lived in the Lord.  

-- Rev. Dr. Paul Irwin, President, American Bible Society

#2988

A CHANGED LIFE

The Christian life is not about political ideology, or about condemnation, or about trumping someone else's experience. It is about Jesus, about being His disciple, about falling in love with God, and about having the courage to let that kind of devotion actually change your life.

-- Derek Maul in Get Real: A Spiritual Journey for Men


#2613