Disciple

Disciple

Then he said to them all: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow. Luke 9:23 NIV

Being a disciple of Christ is more involved than adhering to a set of rules or speaking in Christian lingo. Also keep in mind that there is no such thing as “being naturalized” into discipleship by the work or heritage of another. Each of us needs to pick up our own cross in order to follow him. Being a disciple is a personal and complete commitment to Christ. The call to follow Christ assumes a certain level of danger, tenacity and a complete self surrender. For when we die with Christ, we will be raised from the dead, just like Christ (Romans 6:8-11). We give all, and we then gain all, in Christ.

Do you understand the picture yet? Following Christ is not only what we do, how we live, our choices and the condition of our hearts, but also the condition of our minds. Our minds need to be fully vested in the word of God so that we can know His will (Romans 12:2). A person that is fully invested in God will find his or herself walking by faith. What is a walk of faith? It is living by the will of God (we are listening) and, parenthetically, by the Word of God (we are thinking and acting in obedience). That is how Christ lived, that is how we should live as his disciples. When we have our full being on following and worshiping God, we do not lose our identities as some would have you think. We retain our uniqueness, but we gain a connection to God and a bond to our faith-siblings in Christ.

A life of joy, obedience and hope are all earmarks of discipleship. But I would also call them the earmarks of a great adventure, with God Himself as our guide.