Discipleship Devotional One

This is a series of devotionals based on Jesus' call to his disciples. The main idea is that our core life motivation comes from Christ's love for us, which leads us to love God and our neighbors. We are called to be a new creation in Christ, letting go of anything that hinders us from loving others. Our discipleship journey begins with love and we need to show this love through our actions. The challenge is to increase in love each week, finding ways to love others more. This is a series of devotionals based on Jesus' call to his disciples. Jesus said, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Although they did not initially understand what he meant by fishers of men, they eventually did grasp the concept. At this point in history, Jesus is leaving them with the commission to go and make disciples. I have titled this six-part devotional, Follow Me, Boys and Girls. The title is inspired by the movie, Follow Me, Boys, the movie was about a scoutmaster, played by Fred McMurray, who created an opportunity for boys to enjoy the great outdoors, learn from each other, and serve the community. If you're not familiar with Fred McMurray, he was the actor who played the father on My Three Sons. If you don't know what My Three Sons was about, Google it. I'd like to express my gratitude to the City Impact Church in Australia and to YouVersion Bible App for providing me with many ideas and thoughts that influence this devotional. Devotional 1, the disciple journey begins with love. What is the greatest commandment from God? It is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. The verse goes on to say, and a second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourselves, Matthew 22, verse 39. At the core of God's desire for our lives, it is for loved others and to bring them to Christ. Okay, you might be thinking, if this is a priority of God, how do we obey it? That's a great question. A wonderful place is Tart, it's 2 Corinthians 5, 17. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. Everything old has passed away, see, everything has become new. Wow, we're a new creation. What does that mean? When we are born again, we have become a new creation. Our old lives have passed away and a new has come. This promise is for anyone who believes in Christ. It doesn't matter what class, race, nationality, language, or level of intelligence you belong to. Anyone can be a new creation in Jesus Christ. Upon accepting Christ as the Lord and Savior of our lives, we have become a new creation. Our old lives have passed away and a new has come. We're born again. We're no longer bound to sin. We have freedom in Christ to love God and our neighbors. The American Red Cross was gathering supplies, medicine, clothing, food, and like for suffering people in Biafra. Inside one of the boxes that showed up at the collecting depot one day was a letter. It said, quote, we have recently been converted and because of our conversion, we want to try to help. We won't ever need these again. Can you use them for something? End quote. Inside the box were several Ku Klux Klan sheets. The sheets were cut down to strips and eventually used to bandage the wounds of black persons in Africa. It could hardly be more dramatic from simsles of hatred to bandages of love because of the new creation. Nothing matters, says, nothing else matters, says Paul. And it does not stop there. We are continually made new in Christ. Even though we are a new creation, we are still being refined and made more like Christ through a process called sanctification. Sanctification is a theological term for the work that only the Holy Spirit can do in us. And it starts when we accept Christ as our Savior. Our core life motivation comes from Christ's love for us, which leads us to repentance, obedience, and change. We need to ask ourselves the following question. Is the way we live our lives a testament to the truth of the transformative work of Christ in our lives? We cannot lead someone to Christ if our walk is unlike our words. Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, author, psychologist, educator, and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, said this about Christians whose actions do not match up with their beliefs. Quote, you aren't sufficiently transformed for me to believe that you believe in God or that you believe in the story that you're telling me. The way you live isn't a sufficient testament to the truth, end quote. That's convicting. What are we to do? Our discipleship journey begins with love. Our calling is to wholeheartedly love God, not only through the words but also through our actions. This love is known as agape in Greek. It's a powerful force that fills us with deep respect and affection, motivates us to obey, and fosters a sense of gratefulness. Furthermore, we are tasked with extending this love to everyone, regardless of our feelings or circumstances, with genuine, selfless intentions. Love does not seek its own interest, 1 Corinthians 13, 4-5. As followers of God, loving Him and others means letting go of anything that hinders us from loving others, as Christ has taught us. It could be the things that keep us in our comfort zones or those that take precedence in our lives. It may be certain habits we have not overcome yet. Whatever it may be, if it holds the top position in our lives, if anything takes priority over Christ, it must be relinquished. Having God as our priority is evidence of the life transformed. Action Point If love is at the center of our lives as Christians, how could you increase in love this week? Try to make an effort daily this week to increase in love in just one way. I believe you can do it.