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Discipleship does not come naturally to anyone. None of us want to be governed by a rule or a person outside of ourselves, our human nature is to do whatever it is we feel like doing in the moment. Why would someone undergo the difficulty of being a disciple, of shaping their life in response to the authority of another? Because the stakes are so high. The spiritual world is real. Hell and Heaven represent the possible realities of eternity for us. Because the consequences are enormous, and because salvation is not just thinking certain thoughts but becoming a certain thing, we must engage in discipleship under the authority of Jesus Christ. Let’s make some progress toward that this week.
Day 1
You Gotta Want it!
The first step in becoming a disciple is to want it, and if you don’t, that is a big problem. If you find yourself vacillating in your desire, how do you make progress to truly wanting what is good for you? Everything we see around us began with a desire. Someone wanted to build houses, because others desired to live in houses. Because you desire to not live outside, you got a job and bought the house you are currently living in as you read this. Desires can be bad, or they can be good, but they are what ends up starting the cascade of causes that are responsible for all that you see around you. Many of the things you see around you in this world are bad, and some of the things you see around you are good, because many of our desires are bad, and only some are good. This is very simple, but what is much more complicated is turning bad desires into good desires. You may have desires for a more comfortable life that seem good, but they get in the way of truly good desires like following Christ. In your heart, you are probably aware of the strength of the desires that compete in your heart with the desire to follow Christ. You cannot hope to change this until you can be honest about it, so the first step is to write down the things that are getting in the way of your desire to follow Christ. The next step is to see if these things are worth it. Where will these desires lead? If following Christ leads to transformation, glory, and heaven, then where does following the competing desires lead? Spend some time today outlining the costs and benefits of following Christ, and meditate on that throughout the week. See if you can feed the desire to follow Christ, and starve the desires that compete.
Verses: Matthew 16:24, John 14:6, Philippians 3:7-10
Prayer Topics: Emotions, Submission, Love, Joy
Day 2
Not Just a River in Egypt
We are told in scripture that we must deny ourselves if we are to take up our cross and follow Christ. What does this mean? Does this mean we are to deny ourselves fun or relaxation, always making sure we are busy doing good things? I remember at Bible college that if we weren’t spending every waking second doing something “holy”, we were on our way to perdition. We were not supposed to take off time for spring break, but instead make sure we were taking that week for evangelism, along with what seemed like a never-ending list of tasks that left no time for rest or fun. I don’t think that this is what is being spoken of when Jesus is speaking about denying ourselves and taking up our cross in scripture. Jesus had the reputation of going to too many parties, and the whole Old Testament is full of commands to the people of Israel to have festivals. What Jesus is speaking of is not the denial of things for yourself, but the denial of self. Before you start to think that this is great news because it gets you off the hook, it doesn’t. This is a much more profound denial than just the denial of things for the self, because it doesn’t allow you to keep the self that wanted the things in the first place. On the positive side, this type of denial gets us out of the fundamental problem with religious people, and that is that they have denied themselves things but haven’t denied themselves, making them particularly surly and unenjoyable people. When you deny yourselves things but don’t deny yourself, you still want the things that you have denied yourself, making you very unhappy. When you deny yourself, you no longer want the things to begin with, making their absence of no concern. Denying the selfish, self-absorbed, self-centered part of you will take the rest of your life, but you can begin today. What is the first part of yourself that you must deny, and how should you begin to do it? Give that some thought today.
Verses: James 4:1-4, 2 Timothy 2:15, Luke 14:33
Prayer Topics: Sacrifice, Exchange, Honesty
Day Three
Devoted Things
In the Old Testament, some things were devoted for God’s use, making it a very serious sin to use them for any other purpose. Sometimes, things were devoted to destruction, such as items that were obtained from Israel’s enemies that were conquered when Israel entered the promised land. In one instance, a man named Achan took some things that were devoted to God, and he and his whole family perished because of it. When something belongs to God, God takes that very seriously, and does not allow anyone else to take ownership of it. When Jesus was nearing the end of his earthly ministry, he prayed to the Father about those who would be left behind, stating that none that were given him were lost except the one doomed to destruction. If we have entered into a covenant relationship with Jesus, then we are his. We have become devoted to him, and so everything that we have is to be used for his purposes. This means our time, our talents, our treasure, our relationships, our jobs, it means everything. Is your life devoted to Jesus? What are you holding back? When you make decisions about spending money, is the kingdom of God the foremost thing on your mind? When you plan your week, are your thoughts kingdom thoughts? What in your life needs to be devoted to him, marking your life as his possession?
Verses: Joshua 7:1-26, James 1:22-27, Colossians 3:12-14
Prayer Topics: Commitment, Unity, Sacrifice
Day 4
Living Sacrifice
In order to become true disciples of Jesus, we must embrace death. Most of us would like to think that we can go forward into heaven with a few of our wrinkles and blemishes ironed out, a few of our flaws fixed, and a few of our vices turned into virtues. The reality is, this self-improvement brand of discipleship is not what Jesus calls us to. We are corrupt through and through, and so we must be completely transformed. The problem is, that kind of transformation means the old self must die. Peter once famously confronted Jesus when the master was telling his disciples that he must die. Peter told him that this turn of events would never happen, and Jesus called him Satan. This seems like a harsh response to someone who’s love for his master will not let him contemplate that master’s death. Peter seems to have shared his culture’s view that Christ will reign like David, and will hold sway over the world like the most glorious king that ever lived. Jesus tells Peter he is thinking like men instead of thinking like God. What does this mean? It means that while we pursue improvement, God pursues complete transformation. We think that if we just had a little more power, a little more wisdom, a little more goodness and love, that everything would be fine. We don’t understand that our corruption and sin go much deeper than we could ever imagine, and that without dying to ourselves, without a complete rebirth, our lives will always end in hell. Do you believe that if you give everything, that if you completely die to yourself, Jesus has the power to raise you up to a glorified life? What is the difference between dying to self and being improved? What areas of your old life still live inside of you? What must you do to die to yourself? What are the marks of a disciple that is dying to self? What keeps most people from doing this? What will be different tomorrow as a result of beginning to die to yourself?
Verses: Galatians 2:20, Luke 9:23, John 12:24
Prayer Topics: Trust, New Life, Transformation
Day 5
The Future
The disciple has no future. Well, that’s not exactly true. The disciple does not know their future. Jesus’ disciples were a great example of this truth. The arguments that the disciples had revolved around who would be the greatest in the upcoming kingdom. They had no clue what kind of a Messiah Jesus was, and what kind of kingdom he would bring. I am sure they spent time thinking about what their future would entail, the power, the decisions, the honors and the feasts. What they got was something completely different, as they began a church that would spread across the Roman empire and would eclipse and outlast it in every way. Their names would go down in history, probably in a much greater way than they could ever have imagined, and yet their lives would be much more difficult and full of turmoil than they could ever have predicted. They had no clue what they were getting into. We think we do. We plan out our lives, and to a large extent, they unfold according to our plans. We know what the future brings, and we are prone to anxiety when our lives start to go off-course just a little. When was the last time something really unexpected happened in your life? When you were completely caught off guard by your future? If it has been a while, does that seem incompatible with Jesus calling the shots? Does it seem likely that his ideas for your future and yours just happen to completely mirror one-another? Or is it more likely that, rather than being his disciple and following him, you are really just following your own plans? How does Jesus take control of your future? What needs to happen for you to let go of the control you have over it? How does being wise and prudent and being a disciple work together in your life? What kind of future is “off-limits” for you? Do you trust Jesus to have complete control over your future? What would it take for that to happen?
Verses: 1 Peter 5:6-11, Proverbs 16:9, John 16:33
Prayer Topics: Peace, Joy, Freedom