It Really Is Good Newsনমুনা

Learning to Be Loved

When I think about my own journey with discipleship I think of people. People that the Lord has put in my path who have shared Jesus with me and demonstrated what a life lived for Jesus looks like. They made me food and shared coffee with me, invited me into their homes, woke up early to pray with me and, through it all, they showed me the love of Jesus.

They opened their Bible and pointed me to the Savior.

We learn everything we need to learn in the person of Jesus and his life and ministry. Therefore, we look to Him to learn about what it means to step into our role as disciples, going into the world with the good news. Let’s look at a few different ways Jesus exemplified discipleship:

Disciples as Students: The Greek word for disciple is "mathetes" which means “student or pupil”. This is one description of our relationship with Jesus. He is our teacher and we follow Him. Jesus called the disciples by name and invited them to follow Him. The disciples followed Jesus and they sacrificed everything to give their lives over to His life and teachings. Same for us as disciples - Jesus sees us, He calls us by name, He asks us to follow Him - and we look to His life and teachings in His Word as an example for how to live our lives.

Disciples as Family: He didn’t just view them as students, he also viewed them as family. He said “Who is my mother and who are my brothers? And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here is my mother and my brothers.” (Matt. 12:48-49) God humbled himself in Jesus to share everyday life with everyday people. He chose 12 disciples from various vocations ranging from fishermen to tax collectors and shared everything with them. They shared meals and laughter, struggles and sufferings. The big celebrations and the in between mundane moments. He shared everything with His disciples and had a relationship with them that was based on grace and truth. (John 1:14-17)

Disciples as Missionaries: The good news of Jesus’ truth and grace was not just for the first 12 disciples, it was meant to overflow. The family was intended to grow! In the Great Commission Jesus reveals his plan to make disciples, not just of the twelve but also of every ethnic group in the world. Matthew 28:18-20 tells us how it would be accomplished - by going, baptizing, and teaching!

Jesus tells us that everything is summarized in loving God and loving others, therefore loving God and being loved by God must come first! Our desire to go and make disciples is an overflow of realizing God’s love for us and seeing His love for all mankind. We acknowledge that we have been fully loved by Jesus Christ and that love is what motivates our going.

Yesterday we talked about cultivating a heart of humility- repenting and releasing. Choosing the way of Jesus over our own sinful and selfish desires.

This will be a continuous practice in our lives, because we will sin and fall short every single day. But today we are focusing on what comes in response to this repenting and releasing. Jesus leads us to receiving his love. He loves you so much, and has called you by name. As you receive his love you will rise into your new identity in Him. His love will naturally overflow to those around you!

May your heart be filled with joy as you meditate on your identity as a beloved son/daughter of Jesus. This really is good news!

Prayer:

Thank you for loving me, Father. Help me to receive your love today. Holy Spirit, fill me with the love of Jesus Christ. Strengthen me in your truth, and lead my heart to encounter your love continuously. You are the vine, and I trust you with all my heart. I desire to be a branch connected to the vine, producing the fruit of disciples in the world.