A Teachable Spirit

Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge. (Pro 19:27)

One of the most important attributes of a humble Christ follower is a teachable spirit. At one level, it should be obvious that when you stop listening you stop learning. But the danger is deeper than that. The real danger is letting pride overtake my heart. If I think I have nothing to learn from others, I will soon find that I am not listening to God, either. “Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Rom 1:22 NASB) is how Paul described such men. My knowledge is always incomplete and imperfect in this life. I must continue to study God’s Word and to learn. And I must continue to read and listen to the teaching of godly men, as an important check against my own errors of interpretation. Lord, I want to have a teachable spirit. Convict me when pride raises its ugly head. Sanctify me by your Word – both to know it and to obey it. Amen.

Plowing Straight Ahead

Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.” (Lk 9:62)

Anyone who looks backwards while he is plowing will plow a very crooked furrow. We can’t serve God effectively if we keep looking back at the life we left behind to follow him. If I am going to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ I need to be “all in.” Complete commitment requires singleness of purpose. Lord, forgive me for the many distractions I entertain along the way. I am “all in” for your cause. I will keep my eyes on you. Lead and I will follow. Amen.

School of Hard Knocks

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (Deut 8:3)

The latter half of this verse is famous because Jesus quoted it to the devil when he was tempted in the wilderness. But today it is the first half of the verse that caught my eye. To teach the Israelites this lesson he first had to humble them. God first caused them to hunger and only then did he send the manna. I am struck by the fact that he caused them to hunger. God uses our hardships to teach us, but he doesn’t necessarily just wait for a hardship to come. He sometimes brings hardship. He brings it not because he hates us, but because he loves us enough to want us to grow in our faith and character. I’ve said many times that most of the spiritual growth in my life has happened during the hard times. God’s plan for my life includes some hard times. Lord, thank you that, like a father who disciplines his son, you bring trials in my life to teach me. Like the Israelites may I learn humility and utter dependence on you. Amen.

Slowly But Surely

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Rom 12:2a)

Toward this end, one very practical thing I can do is to devote myself daily to prayer and reading God’s Word. Another is in verse 1, “offer your bodies as living sacrifices.” I daily pray a prayer of surrender. And as many times during the day as my mind snaps back to it, I confess my love and service to him again. These are the very practical disciplines which I was taught in the One on One discipleship study. It is sometimes disheartening to me that I am so far from being the man of God that I aspire to be. Yet I believe and trust that slowly, almost imperceptibly, as I faithfully execute these daily disciplines I am being molded into that man of God. I know his word will not come back void, nor his Spirit fail to move.

Give It Up

In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. (Lk 14:33)

Jesus said this to sum up his discussion about counting the cost before building a tower or going to war. This is one of those challenging statements that we are tempted to explain away or soften. In the context of the previous verses he seems to be saying that the price of true discipleship is high. If we just want to add a little God stuff to what we’re already doing we will not succeed as his true disciples. It must be our singular focus. God is my purpose for existence! Everything else is only meaningful in light of that purpose. Everything in my life not consecrated to him, even good and wonderful things like family, careers, and friends, is nothing more than a distraction.

Drop Everything

At once they left their nets and followed him. (Mk 1:18)

I’ve always been intrigued by the image of the disciples literally dropping their nets, leaving their companions behind, and immediately following Jesus. This intrigues me because I think I would never do anything so precipitous. I am always second-guessing myself and it leads to hesitation and inaction. Was it the uniqueness of this moment (the calling of the disciples) that made such precipitousness ok, or am I simply too cautious as a follower of Christ? Lord, I want to be bold as your disciple. I want to be capable of decisive action. Give me the faith to not be always hedging my bets – keeping Plan B as an option in case stepping out in faith doesn’t pan out. Lord, increase my faith!

Priorities

Follow me and let the dead bury their own dead. (Mt 8:22)

There is nothing that is more important than following Christ. We can take any good thing and if we elevate it above our primary calling to follow Christ it becomes evil. In the church today we are so distracted we become powerless to carry out the work of Christ. I put so many things at a higher priority in my life than they deserve. It’s ok to be tired sometimes or hungry, or to miss out on some favorite pastime. I must be about my Father’s business. Lord, help me to count the cost and then willingly pay it to be your true disciple.

Why Obey God?

This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. (1 Jn 5:3)

John puts it so simply: love God = obey God. Why do we obey him? Because we love him. Why do we not obey him? Because we don’t love him enough. If I am passionately in love with him I will want to obey him. And it won’t be too hard because God has given us his Spirit. The same power that overcame death in the Resurrection can overcome the world in me. If only I truly love him. I have set myself the task of knowing him more deeply and intimately. Out of that intimacy comes an ever-increasing love for God that impels me to obey, and to do so joyfully, empowered by his Spirit. That’s what it means to be a true disciple.

It's Not Too Late

The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. (Pro 10:27)

I shouldn’t worry that I’m too old to really become a true disciple. I’m 53 and a poor steward so far of my life and health. But if I become a true follower today and a good steward, I may well have 25-30 years of ministry left in this life. I can still impact this generation, and the next, for Christ.