Another thing many Christians want from God is for Him to straighten up all the mess we see in this world. That’s not a bad thing to pray for either. Of course, the mess we want cleaned up is usually other people’s doing. “God, if you could just straighten them out!” I confess I pray this too. Many Christians are busy doing good to help this messed up world. That is good and right for us to do! But God wants something even more than making this world easier for us and others to live in.
Many of want us God to get others to see life and this world the way we do. We want them to believe what we believe. I confess I pray that others will believe what I believe. I don’t think that is bad either. But God wants something more than getting others to believe what I do.
The Bold Discipleship blog was started as a forum to share thoughts about being a disciple of Jesus. Here are a few of Chambers thoughts about discipleship from a daily devotional I read this week. Do any of them seem relevant today?
-Today we have substituted credal belief for personal belief, and that is why so many are devoted to causes and so few devoted to Jesus Christ.
-If I am devoted to the cause of humanity only, I will soon be exhausted and come to the place where my love will falter; but if I love Jesus Christ personally and passionately, I can serve humanity though men treat me as a doormat.
-Jesus did not say—Make converts to your way of thinking, but look after My sheep, see that they get nourished in the knowledge of Me.
-Discipleship is based on devotion to Jesus Christ, not on an adherence to a belief or creed. “If any man come to Me and hate not …, he cannot be My disciple.”
-The secret to a disciple’s life is devotion to Jesus Christ.
As I transition back to being a pastor, I am trying to remind myself that while I want and even pray for the people I serve to live happy, good lives, the most important thing I want from God for them is more of Him. I need to remember what I want most for those who call ourselves disciples is more of Jesus in our lives.
Perhaps more Jesus in our lives might lead to more joy for us and others, even more than having a “snowplow” God to make things easier for us.