discipleship | Daily Encouragement

“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

Tagged discipleship, Lent, sacrifice, the book of Isaiah

February 5

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“Jesus called them together and said,‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’” (Matthew 20: 25-28, NIV)

I like the adage: “Unless you’re the lead dog, the view never really changes.”

The problem is that my ambition for leadership almost always conflicts with what Jesus says His disciples’ ambitions ought to be vis-a-vis leadership. While the common ideas of leadership usually involves the exercise of power, the acquisition of perquisites, and the maintenance of prestige; as a disciple of Jesus, I need always be on guard that I not use religious language to hide these secular objectives.

We cannot argue with the common concepts of leadership and their place in this world. However, regarding their applicability, we must never forget Jesus’ words: “Not so with you.” – Luther