Tag Archives: discipleship

March 21
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“Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:25-27, NIV)

A disciple is a follower. A disciple aspires to be exactly like his or her teacher.  As Jesus is Truth, we must be scrupulously truthful — and everything else He is, including a cross-bearer. Anything less is not true discipleship.  Anything else is not obedience.

A disciple is holy.  The disciple’s holiness is measured in the points of similarity to his or her teacher; and in the degree of difference from the “common way” in his or her way of thinking (e. g. love for enemies, blessings for curses, concern for the poor, readiness to reconcile, etc. . .).

Today’s scripture takes us to the bedrock of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus: Holiness, obedience, and cross-bearing.  – Luther

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March 12
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“But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.” (Acts 8:4, NLT)

We do not get to choose our circumstances, but we do choose how we react to our circumstances.

Today’s scripture reminds us of our predecessors in the faith, who were displaced but used their new circumstance to tell others about Jesus through word and deed.

We will often find ourselves in places not of our own choosing. Will we complain about the inconvenience, the pain, or the expense; or will we view our displacement as an opportunity to let our light shine for Jesus?  – Luther

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February 24
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“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter — when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isaiah 38:6-7, NIV) 

We often think of fasting as something from which we refrain or abstain — and that is a true definition. However, according to our reading from Isaiah, God’s chosen fast can be as much a time of engagement as it is a time of denial or retreat.

During this Lenten season, disciples will often give-up something.  This is a good thing, if only as a reminder that “man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  (Matthew 4:4)

At the same time, we also need to remember that God is as interested in what we have chosen to take-up as He is in what we’ve chosen to give-up.  There is as much for us in the “taking up our cross” as in the “denying one’s self.” (Please see Matthew 16:24.)

Let us strive to maintain this balance in our discipleship!  – Luther

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