Mar 29, 2016
How am I to live? (This is a question I have often asked myself.)
We can sum it up in one sentence…
I am to live as Jesus lived.
So the more important question is how did Jesus live here on earth?
Jesus by His birth, life, and death represented the very definition of humility.
He lived in such a way that no one felt intimidated by Him. Friend or foe approached Him freely. He lived in a way that He had no reputation; if you would have passed Him on the street you probably wouldn’t have recognized Him unless someone pointed Him out to you.
Jesus being fully God and also fully human faced every temptation that we face today. Being fully God He was perfect and did not sin. Jesus as human let Himself be touched by people and He reached out to them too. The children, the lepers, and many others felt the warmth of His hands.
Nothing Jesus did on earth was for His personal gain or selfish ambition. He had many opportunities to use people for His advantage. The crowd that followed Him were ready to make Him king. Jesus could have influenced the rich and intelligent that came to Him in a way that would have pleased them so that they would have willingly helped Him succeed. That is not why He came to earth, He came to redeem mankind.
Jesus was obedient to His father in everything, even in death. He prayed “not my will but Thine be done.” He did only what He saw the Father do.
Now Jesus commands all those who believe in Him to live as He Lived. We must be willing to live in complete humility. As a pilgrim, walking through this life; not working towards fame and fortune. We must be willing to sacrifice our very lives for the sake of the gospel — to take our eyes off of ourselves and focus on the needs of others.
Just as no one was intimidated by Jesus so we should not live in a way that would hinder others from approaching us. Jesus lived a completely transparent life, not hiding any emotions from His followers. We are also called to live in complete transparency, so that the sinner looking on can see Jesus working in us and give glory to the Father. Most of all we are called to love as Jesus loved. The world will know if we are true disciples of Jesus by the love we have for one another.
Looking at life through Jesus’ life style I realize how wrongly my view on life has been. I see now to truly live is, to live as Christ.
—School of Discipleship student
Please like and share this post:
Mar 28, 2016
Just a few weeks ago, I heard the song of a robin for the first time this year and I saw new life beginning to poke out of the ground. It just amazes me how God created His masterpiece so perfectly. How is it that plants, know when it is safe to poke their little heads out of the earth, or hibernating animals know when to wake up from their winter sleep? Or, how about the thought: of how birds know when it is time to come to their summer home.
Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.”
Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind-livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened.
God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
—Genesis 1: 20, 24-25
As I ponder this season of new life I also can’t help but be in awe of the New Life we are offered through the suffering of our Lord and Saviour. How precious this gift is and how He delights to give it to His children.
Let’s embrace this promise given to us!
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly.”
—John 10:10
—School of Discipleship student
Please like and share this post:
Mar 27, 2016
Why do you celebrate Easter or is it Resurrection Sunday?
Good Friday and Easter Sunday can mean something different for me then is does for you. The fresh air of spring, warm sunshine and flowers coming up are all signs of spring. But is that all there is to Easter? There are people that look forward to painting eggs and hunting for them after; but is there more meaning behind this day than what we think? Easter may mean nothing more than another holiday to possibly go to church for some. But to me, this day stands for much more than that.
The real reason for Good Friday and Easter is Jesus’ Death and Resurrection!
Now before you say, what is so exciting about a death and how could that be better than the excitement of spring, colourful Easter eggs and chocolate?? Don’t get me wrong I like spring to and the beautiful weather and flowers. Let me tell you about something that is more exciting than that! It is about Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. The death of Christ is what brings joy and meaning to this season. What is so exciting about a death? This wasn’t just any death; it was the death of Jesus Christ! But he didn’t stay dead, he rose victoriously! To give eternal life to anyone that would believe and accept his gift.
Jesus died to give us Eternal life. This is wonderful news, which should cause us great excitement! Good Friday may have ended sad; but Resurrection Sunday changed everything! Jesus lived a perfect life so that he could pay the price for our sins. To be able to celebrate the Resurrection should bring us great joy and peace. Our sins have been forgiven; we have been made right with God the Father. HALLELUJAH!
To have heard him say “IT IS FINISHED” on the cross and die; but praise God he did not stay dead, he arose! Jesus was willing to go through all that because of the great love he has for us. Now we may hear him say “come unto me, all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” Matt 11:28. What glorious words!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” 1 Peter 1:3
—School of Discipleship student
Please like and share this post:
Mar 26, 2016
Today, as I was praying, God reminded me of a phrase that was once quite special to me. The phrase is “a man after God’s own heart.” In my early teens, I spent a lot of time reading the books of Samuel and Kings. At the time I was looking for insights about faith and how people were demonstrating faith. I didn’t really understand faith so I ended up reading these books over and over and I became very familiar with the stories. It was at this time that this phrase began meaning a lot to me.
In my early twenties God brought me to a place where I spent a lot of time in the gospels and the teachings of Jesus. This concept of being a man after God’s own heart was kind of placed on the back burner for a time. Now God is bringing the two concepts together for me.
In class we have been learning about having a radical Christian lifestyle. A lifestyle in which we renounce and hate everything, that would keep us from pursuing our Father with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is a lifestyle where we renounce everything as we pursue Christ.
What is it that enables us to do these things? How do we get from knowing that these are the right things to do to the place where we are able to do it? This is where I see being a man after God’s own heart fitting in. It is when we have that heart that we are able to pursue Christ radically without worrying about what others will think.
What does it mean to have a heart after God? I believe it means to be absolutely controlled by the Spirit of God. When we are totally yielded to His Spirit, we can live the radical life. The life and love of God will flow out of us. It will no longer be a standard that we are attempting to attain to but it will be a lifestyle that naturally flows out from the Spirit within us. This is having a heart after God. This is being a radical disciple. The life controlled by the Spirit is the life of True Discipleship.
—School of Discipleship student
Please like and share this post:
Mar 25, 2016
“For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for his sake.” Philippians 1:29
What a blessing to have studied the book of Philippians and “The Calvary Road” in class the past couple weeks. I certainly feel like I have a greater understanding of suffering and the glories thereof. Time and time again the Holy Spirit has brought me to a place of sweet brokenness, as I am reminded of my Lord Jesus Christ hanging on a cross for me. It remains a mystery to me that God would go about bringing redemption to the world, through the ultimate sacrifice, our Lord Jesus Christ. Seeing as though I will never figure out God or His ways with my mortal mind, I am coming to a place of acceptance and faith realizing that in suffering is a hidden fellowship with God that will not be experienced in any other manner. O WHAT GLORY! WORTHY IS THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN!
—School of Discipleship student
Please like and share this post:
Mar 24, 2016
Less than a year ago I would have found it strange to raise my hands in worship. Even if a song would say “I lift my hands”, my hands would stay down. Lifting up my hands for praying was also something I wasn’t used to.
We read in Psalm 134 verse 2, “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.” It’s mentioned in many more places but another one I like is in 1 Timothy 2:8 again “lifting up holy hands…” hands that are set apart for God’s disposal and to do His will.
To me raising my hands speaks volumes. The first thought is surrender. It’s acknowledging I am powerless and it’s outwardly shown. Though there’s a time to throw up your hands because you have been trying to do things out of strength that stems from self and not from God. I have found that choosing to surrender, even when things are not on the brink of falling apart, is crucial. To lift up holy hands in praise, prayer and adoration confirms in me, the relationship between the Creator and His creation that I am, and my dependence upon Him. Active worship has become very important to me in the last six months. Simply lifting up my hands like a child reaching for a father, acknowledging my great need for our Heavenly Father, and having a transparent life with Him, needs to come out in every area of my life because I am a child of God. Lifting up my hands gives me a good perspective of where I’m at, and helps me to have a surrendered life when I’m in the valley, or on the mountain top.
—School of Discipleship student
Please like and share this post:
Page 15 of 71« First«...10...14151617...2030...»Last »
Recent Comments