Category Archives: discipleship

1,000 Years From Now

Posted on August 27, 2024 | Leave a comment

I’m 64 years old so I figure I’ve lived almost a third of my lifetime by now. Too optimistic about how long I’ll live? You’re probably right. But regardless of my optimism, I’m not anticipating that my life will last another 1,000 years. How about you?

If we can agree that our lifespan is shorter than the next millennium, why would we care about what happens that far in the future? Why think ahead like that? Why not just live for the moment? After all, that seems to be the way many live. Even many Christians seem to live with little thought to eternity.

God has a better plan. You can live with eternity in mind. You can live with the recognition that life is short and eternity is coming. We live in the here and now, of course. But wise are the people who live life now with their future in mind. If you know Jesus as your Savior, God has promised you eternal life and something greater beyond this lifetime. Live with that truth firmly planted in you, and your life here will be all the richer.

Here are some reasons to live with eternity in mind.

Living with eternity in mind changes your perspective. If we just live for the moment we are unprepared for the future. I knew some guys in my summertime construction jobs who spent their weekly paycheck on the first day. They spent it like there was no tomorrow. They needed to change their perspective about finances. They had to learn to discipline themselves, save ahead, make plans and think long term. Those who learned to plan for the full week and beyond were much more successful in their financial endeavors.

Many Christians live as though there is no tomorrow. They never consider that one day they will stand before the Lord to give an account of their use of his gifts, blessings and provisions. The perspective change of long range thinking helps us to make the most of the opportunities God places before us. We are less likely to squander our lives on silly things and more likely to find spiritual success. Having the right perspective goes a long way towards living an effective spiritual life.

Living with eternity in mind changes your priorities. Gold will just be pavement in heaven. A handful of gravel and asphalt isn’t worth much here, and a handful of gold isn’t worth much in eternity. When we lose sight of eternity we can find ourselves valuing the wrong things.

In eternity, what we did to honor the Lord and his work will still matter. In eternity, how we used the gifts and opportunities he provided us will still matter. In eternity, the way we loved God and loved others will still matter. Living with eternity in mind can help us value the things God values and prioritize the things God has prioritized.

Living with eternity in mind changes your purpose. Too many have wasted their lives. They have lived for self or pleasure or possessions. How sad to waste the one earthly life given by the Lord himself. How sad to never consider why God put us on this planet.

Living for eternity can remind us that we are made for a purpose and a plan. God made us to know Him as Savior and Lord. God saved us to live a life of impact and mission. When we stand before Jesus we will want to know that we have lived out the mission He gave to us. We will want to know that we have obeyed and followed him. We will rejoice that God has accomplished his purposes through us and used us to make a difference in eternity. What a special joy it will be to know that God used our witness, our testimony and our example to help others come to know Him. What a joy it will be to know God has used us in his eternal work.

    Live in the present tense, but always keep one eye on eternity. Remember that God made you for something more than this lifetime. Be active and productive and focused in this present age; in this one lifetime that God gives you now. But never lose sight of the fact that God made and remade you for something more.

    Be sure to live your life thinking about 1,000 years from now!

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    Posted in bible, Christianity, discipleship, Uncategorized

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    Say Yes

    Posted on June 20, 2024 | Leave a comment

    Acts 10:14 records a shocking juxtaposition of words from the apostle Peter. “No, Lord!”

    I wish Peter was the only to say no to the Lord. But I’m afraid I join a long list of followers of Jesus who have sometimes called him Lord, and told him no.

    The christian life is all about saying yes to Jesus.We say yes to him in salvation by turning from sin and placing our faith in his death and resurrection. We say yet to him in discipleship by following where he leads and doing what he says.

    Recently, I watched as dozens of missionaries were commissioned and sent out by the International Mission Board. They said yes to the Lord’s call on their lives and were going all over the world to tell others about Jesus. It was moving and encouraging and convicting.

    Here are some suggestions about how you can stop saying “No, Lord” and start saying yes to Jesus.

    Remember the damage of saying no. There are sometimes difficulties connected with saying yes to the Lord. He may call you to do hard things in hard places at hard times. Saying yes to him may lead to difficult climbs up steep, narrow paths. But don’t forget that there are also difficulties with saying no to the Lord. A no means you miss God’s best for your life. A no means you are following a lesser authority for your future. A no means you are disobeying the one who loves you, died for you and calls you. A no means you are living an inconsistent life and wasting the opportunities, giftedness and talents God has given you. Saying yes to God can lead to difficulties. Saying no to God can lead to disaster.

    See the joy of a life of saying yes to Jesus. While saying yes to the Lord can result in difficulties, it also leads to blessings. Don’t make an easy life your goal. Make your goal an obedient, purposeful and significant life. Saying yes to the Lord is where you will find contentment and joy. It is where your life leaves an impact. I’ve seen so many committed followers of Christ who have faced adversity for the cause of Christ but tell us it was worth it; that pleasing the Lord is the better way to live. They found the joy of God’s will.

    Answer yes before you know the question. Don’t wait to see what God wants before deciding to obey him. Decide to obey him and then see what he wants. Say yes to the Lord before you even know the question. Do this because you know God wants what is best. Do this because you know you can trust God. Do this because God’s way is better than yours. When we want to know what God wants before we decide, we are running our lives. When we say yes before we know what he wants, we are letting God run our lives.

    Many have joined Peter in saying “No, Lord”. Many have lived as though Jesus is merely an advisor rather than Lord. But God had a better plan for Peter and he has a better plan for you. He calls you to follow, obey and trust.

    Say yes!

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    Posted in discipleship, faith, Uncategorized

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    Pursue Peace with Everyone

    Posted on April 13, 2021 | Leave a comment

    “Pursue peace with everyone.” Hebrews 12:14

    God just wrecks our thinking sometimes! I was reading along in my devotional time, minding my own business, and these words came out of nowhere to knock me over. Pursue peace with everyone? Really?

    This does not seem to be the way to do things. Everything in our culture seems to cry out for us to be at war with others. Battle them, conquer them, hammer them into submission! Isn’t that how it’s done? Has not social media taught us that this is the way? Do our cultural, political and media leaders not demonstrate this to us each day?

    And yet, I read God’s word, doing what Christians are supposed to do, only to stumble onto this truth that seems so counter cultural. I am confronted again with the fact that God’s way is often different than our way. I’m reminded that God has some hard tasks and big expectations for those who would follow him.

    Three things about this command call for our close attention.

    1. Our goal is peace. We are tempted to think our goal towards others is conquest. We are tempted to think we are to defeat them, subdue them and crush them. But the goal God gives us in our relationships with others is peace. We are reminded that our enemy is not our brother or sister. Our adversary is not the lost and confused of this world. Our true opponent is not the one who mocks or even persecutes us, but the evil one who has enslaved him and his thinking.

    We should never compromise truth for peace. Peace isn’t found in error. We should never mistake the approval of this fallen world for peace. Darkness never approves of light. We can’t ultimately even ensure peace as it involves someone more than just ourselves. But peace is the goal. Winning the argument, talking the loudest or being the angriest are poor substitutes for what God wants from us in our relationships with others. God calls us to peace.

    2. We are to pursue this goal of peace. We like the idea of others pursuing peace with us more than of us pursuing peace with others. But there it is, right there in the text. That stubborn, difficult, challenging word- pursue. We are told to make the pursuit of peace with others.

    Pursuit means taking the initiative and being proactive. It means the goal of peace isn’t just a wish, but a calling. It means we do something about peace, just as we might do something about war. Battles happen because we engage in them. Peace can happen when we engage in it, when we seek it, when we do something to bring it about. While we can’t change the hearts of others, we can do our part by making the pursuit.

    3. We are to pursue this goal of peace with everyone. This might be the most challenging part of the entire command. We are told to pursue peace and we might be willing to do that- with some. But with everyone? With the guy who is wrong? With the fellow who is combative? With people who are hard to like?

    Pursuing peace with everyone means we will have to think about others as the Lord thinks about them. We will have to see the value of others even when we don’t agree with their values. We will have to choose to love even those not so lovable. This part of the verse is what knocks us over and wrecks our thinking. Everyone is a big, big word.

    This command from Hebrews is going to take some work, some prayer and some attitude adjustments. But it is right there in God’s word. So, let’s think about relationships more as the Lord does than as does the world. Let’s put this one into practice, difficult as it may be. This command is desperately needed in our lives, churches and world. This age needs this word and this spirit more than ever. Never have we had a greater opportunity to shine in our dark world than this verse provides the opportunity for us to do.

    Pursue peace with everyone.

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    Posted in bible study, discipleship, faith, peace, Uncategorized

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    Grow Up

    Posted on January 9, 2020 | Leave a comment

    Toddlers are cute when they are silly and immature. It is okay to be a baby– when you are a baby. But, when you act childishly as an adult, people want you to grow up! Certainly, God wants his children to grow up spiritually.

    The Bible tells us frequently of our need to grow deeper in our faith. Hebrews 5:12 says, “Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles…” Hebrews 6:1 urges us to “go on to maturity”. You are a spiritual newborn when you trust Christ for salvation. But you are to learn, mature and deepen. You are to grow up.

    Note a couple of keys to growing deeper in your faith and maturing in your spiritual life.

    1. Growing up takes effort. Effort is involved in Continue reading →

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    Posted in discipleship, spiritual growth, Uncategorized

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    Asking People to Do the Hard Things

    Posted on September 17, 2019 | Leave a comment

    One of the most important jobs of Christian leaders is to ask people to do the hard things they don’t want to do. We ask people to take the narrow, uphill road when it is easier to go down. We ask them to die to self when it is easier to live for self. We ask them to give, serve and sacrifice though none of those things come easily.

    Following Jesus is not about taking the easy road. It is about doing the right thing even though that is often the more difficult thing. If we are asking people to follow Jesus, we are asking them to take the harder path.

    There is a reason we ask people to do the hard things. Not only do we ask them to do it because it is right. But we also know it is in their best interest to do so. Continue reading →

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    Posted in Christianity, discipleship, responsibility, Uncategorized

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    Connect with Guests

    Posted on May 14, 2019 | Leave a comment

    I moved several times as a boy and, I’ve got to say, it wasn’t much fun. Each time I had to overcome old fears, break down unseen barriers and make new friends. I never liked that feeling of being an outsider. I haven’t forgotten how that felt to my tender young soul. But it taught me some lessons that have been valuable to me in helping to connect with guests at church.

    Visiting a church can be awkward for a first time guest. They don’t know the people, the customs or the expectations. They can feel nervous, intimidated or ignored. They might not even yet know the message of the gospel. But having people at church who purposely connect with them can make a real and lasting difference.

    Here are some tips to help church members learn to connect with guests who visit your church.

    1. Talk to people you don’t know. Church member, this is the Continue reading →

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    Posted in assimilation, discipleship, encouragement, faith, friendship, outreach, small groups, Uncategorized

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    Keep Learning

    Posted on March 28, 2019 | Leave a comment

    Robert Fulghum famously titled a book, “All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” It is a great title, but a lousy philosophy of life. There is much to be learned after kindergarten- algebra, geology and how to cook a good steak, to name a few.

    The best leaders are life long learners. They don’t stop learning after school ends. They don’t believe they possess they sum of all knowledge or that what they currently know is sufficient. They ask questions, seek information and try new things.

    Christian leaders especially need to continue to learn. Our calling cries out for continuing education- formal and informal. We would do well to keep studying, thinking and searching. There is much for us yet to learn about God’s word, his plans and the ministry he calls us to.

    Perhaps, like me, you finished kindergarten long ago. But here are five reasons ministry leaders need to continue to learn as long as God gives us life and breath. Continue reading →

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    Posted in discipleship, learning, ministry, Uncategorized

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    Get Back Up

    Posted on February 28, 2019 | 1 comment

    I was a young, energetic high school freshman football player. All enthusiasm, no experience. We were punting and I was running downfield to cover the punt, foolishly looking up to see where the ball was. Wham! I was knocked flat by an opposing player rudely taking advantage of my vulnerable state.

    Know what I did next? Well, first I rolled around on the ground trying to get my bearings and calling out for my mother. But, eventually, I did what every football player must do at times. I got back up.

    Football players aren’t the only ones who get Continue reading →

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    Posted in discipleship, encouragement, ministry, Uncategorized

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    Discipleship isn’t a Program

    Posted on February 21, 2019 | 1 comment

    Let’s face it. If discipleship was simply finding and following a program, the discipleship dilemma would have been solved long ago. Programs we have. Effective disciplemaking? Not so much.

    I appreciate the role of programs in discipleship. They provide needed resources and helpful direction. They can point us down the right path and keep us from theological ditches. But discipleship takes more than a program. Authentic, life changing discipleship needs relationships.

    Jesus spent time with people. In particular, he spent time with the 12 disciples. He taught them. He modeled proper behavior for them. He challenged them. Jesus even rebuked them where necessary. His discipleship course was the course of his life lived together with these men.

    Perhaps we should see discipleship more like this. It is best done through relationships with other followers of our Lord. Stronger Christ followers helping other Christ followers live the life of Christ could become our model. We could begin to see discipleship as being done best through relationships rather than programs. Programs can be a tool, but relationships are the means.

    Here are three reasons to see relationships as more important than programs in discipleship.

    1. We need examples. Information Continue reading →

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    Posted in Christianity, devotional life, discipleship, friendship, small groups, Uncategorized

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    Stay Close to Jesus

    Posted on April 12, 2018 | 1 comment

    The essence of discipleship is found in Jesus’ words, “Follow me.” Can’t you just picture him calling out to Peter and Andrew and James and John, “Follow me!” He didn’t tell them where they would go or what they would see. He just called them to stay close to him, to walk with him and to be with him.

    Discipleship is, of course, more than attending church services. It is more than keeping the rules. At its heart, discipleship is following the Lord. It is staying close to Jesus.

    Following Jesus means we live like Continue reading →

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    Posted in Christianity, devotional life, discipleship, encouragement, faith, Uncategorized

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