WATCHWORD:
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8
Meditation:
Fellowship II
We left the last Watchword with this question unanswered: What does it take to be a disciple of Christ, an Apostle of the One True God?
I was listening to one of Dr. David Jeremiah’s messages, and, while his topic had to do with the impact of the “Cancel Culture” on our Christian walk, he made a number of points that have a bearing on the question above. I am sure he will not mind if I adopt a few of is points.
I think that most of us would agree that walking humbly with God, if we given thought and consideration that it certainly deserves, is indeed a humbling experience. More than that it’s not an easy path that we follow but we are more than equipped. Still there are number of observations that I think we could make that relate to the question of what does it take…
Wisdom — yes, it takes wisdom. And let’s be sure what were talking about. Wisdom has to do with the decisions we make. Wisdom has nothing to do with following the crowd, taking advice, but it has everything to do with your decision and my decision to do the right thing, even though it is not easy. This is not to say good fellowship is unimportant, it is. How we act under any given set of circumstances is a decision we make our own.
Courage — Maybe courage isn’t quite the right word. I thought about Resolve. Once we make a decision, we resolve to follow through. But, that doesn’t quite accomplish the meaning. Persistence is another aspect but that’s missing something, as well. Maybe it’s all of these. Maybe being a disciple of Christ requires courage, resolve, and persistence.
Forgiveness – Yes, no question about it, walking humbly with our God, within the social context of our lives, requires a forgiving nature. Sometimes it just takes dogged determination and courage to forgive under difficult circumstances, or even under the most loving of circumstances.
I like this passage from Colossians 4:6 — Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt. That reminds me a little of tough love. Forgiveness is grace and sometimes it requires just a bit of resolve, of determination, of “salt”.
Love – The greatest of these is Love for without love nothing works. No matter how big or how small, nothing works without it. We hear the words of Jesus in 1 Peter 4:8 — Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. We could say, a multitude of slights, injuries, mistakes, etc., etc.
All of these are important in our walk with Christ. However. we cannot, under any circumstance, be a disciple of Jesus, our Savior, if we do not have love. That is a BIG 10-4. The means Amen!
Today’s Lenten Passage to Ponder:
Micah 7:8: Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.
Daily Scripture Passages Through Next Tuesday:
Wednesday, Acts 4:33 • Thursday, 1 Peter 5:6 • Friday, John 20:11-18 • Saturday, John 13 • Monday, Zechariah 9:9 • Tuesday, 1 Corinthians 11:24
Closing Prayer:
Jesus, I don’t want to forget about Easter once the calendar changes. Help me to keep the cross in mind daily– it changes everything and I never want to forget the life-changing and beautiful impact of salvation in my life and in our world. Amen.
