Journey With Jesus: 31 Days Devotion From the Gospel of MarkSample

Are you a spectator or a disciple?

What do Olympic champ Michael Phelps, celebrity Kim Kardashian, and business heavyweight Jack Welch have in common? They all love the book The Purpose Driven Life written by preacher Rick Warren. The book has sold tens of millions of copies to date. People around the world are looking for a purpose greater than themselves. To Christ-followers, Jesus has given the greatest purpose of all – to be his disciples who will make more disciples.

During Jesus’ ministry on earth, many people were part of the crowd. They came to Jesus because they needed His help, or they might come to hear Jesus’ wise teachings. They came, heard, received, and went on with their lives. In other words, they were spectators who watched from afar but did not get involved. They never really experienced what it meant to follow Jesus.

However, some became Jesus’ disciples. The disciples shared in Jesus’ life and ministry. They knew Jesus intimately as they lived, ate, and travelled with Him. They were taught and often corrected by Him. They followed Jesus everywhere and played important roles in Jesus’ mission on earth.

Jesus wants every Christian to be His disciple, to follow Him, and to fulfil God’s will on earth. Because we are created by God for God, nothing will satisfy us more than to live for Him. We are not made for ourselves or other people but for Jesus. There is no greater purpose than to know Jesus and to obey Him.

Today, we can decide to be disciples by learning humbly from Jesus and actively applying what we learn. We learn from Jesus by reading the Bible, listening to others teach from it, and watching others live by it. We model our lives after Jesus by putting godly values and principles into practice. We will see our lives changed as we live for a greater purpose—God’s purpose.

As someone who professes faith in Jesus Christ, do you think you are a spectator or a disciple? Which one do you want to be? Why?