Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Luke 14:33 "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple."
DISCIPLESHIP (Part I)
Two women were called to serve the LORD in a very difficult way. One of the women had the attitude, "Yes, we can do this! No problem! There's no way we can fail!" The other wasn't so sure. The other had misgiving about her own abilities. She didn't really think she could do it. On the surface, the first woman, who wanted to set the world on fire, looked to be the more dedicated follower of Christ. But it was the first woman, the very self-confident woman, who, literally within a matter of weeks, gave up because she felt overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. It was the second woman who stuck it out. How was she able to tough it out when she was so full of trepidation to begin with? It was because she forsook her own resources. She understood that if Jesus wasn't there to give her strength day by day she couldn't do it. Every day, with Bible open and hands folded in prayer, she drew strength from her LORD and Savior.
Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is a matter of forsaking our own resources and relying on God's resources.
But where do we go to fill up on God's strength? Where do we find God's resources? In God's house. There we hear His Word from the pulpit. There we receive His power in the Lord's Supper. There we encourage one another with the Word. We open up our Bible during the week and let God speak to us. We meditate on our Baptism, it's promise, its meaning, its power. We go to those places where God touches our hearts with His love, His forgiveness, His promise of eternal life, His flawless direction for our daily lives. We go back again and again to the cross and the empty tomb which comfort our hearts before God, and which strengthen our resolve to be His dedicated disciples. Only then can you and I have the strength to follow where our Savior leads us!
