Matthew 28:18-20
Jesus, undeterred, went right
ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to
commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in
this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have
commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day,
right up to the end of the age.”
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
When I was a child, the local
Young Business Men’s Association (YBMC for short) held an annual Easter
egg hunt in our city park. There were several prize eggs hidden
amongst the “real” ones…and these could garner the person who found them
a live baby chick or a bunny rabbit to take home. My sister, brother
and I never got either one!
A year or so ago, my best friend (and
former neighbor) and I were discussing this, and she was talking about
how she always got a prize egg. She said, “I can’t believe that my
daddy didn’t make sure that at least one of you three went home with a
prize egg. He was a member of the YBMC…he would surely have made that
happen!” I told her I felt quite sure that my mother made sure that
this didn’t happen…and when I asked her, she readily confirmed my
suspicion! Mother must have threatened our neighbor within an inch of
his life if it even looked like one of us might pick up a prize egg and
bring home a chick or bunny!
Another friend, J.R., related to me
last year that because his family ran the local feed store, the chicks
came to them prior to the egg hunt. And somehow, one year, several
ended up at his house. It was cold, and J.R.’s grandmother took pity on
the chicks, so she let them come inside…which was a royal disaster.
The chicks that survived were ultimately relocated to a farm on the
outskirts of town, and J.R. and his brother, Larry, visited them there.
Here’s
where I’m headed…it was one thing to win the prize egg and be awarded a
chick or bunny…but there was work to be done afterward! It didn’t end
with the glory of the found treasure! And the same can be said for our
salvation and Eternal life in Christ!
I sometimes worry that
people might think twice about following Jesus if they really understood
just what true Christian discipleship entails! And I don’t say this
lightly or to imply that people should NOT give their hearts to Jesus.
But we really do a poor job of nurturing new believers…and even some of
those who have grown “long in the tooth” since their initial commitment
to follow Christ. We cannot claim the victory and “prize” and then fail
to take care of the “reward,” which no doubt accounts for countless
mothers and fathers scrambling to make sure that their children did not
“win” a chick or bunny at the annual Easter egg hunt!
My point is
this…NOTHING compares with becoming a true child of God by committing
your heart to Jesus. The most liberating and wonderful thing anyone can
do is to confess his/her sins to Jesus and feel Him wash them all away
with His own blood. The promise of spending Eternity in Jesus’ presence
is the greatest gift we will ever receive. But in exchange for all of
this, God wants us to nurture His “Gift”…to grow in our faith and share
the Good News with others. He wants us to “feed the sheep” and tend to
those in need…to share in the joys and triumphs, trials and sorrows of
everyone we encounter.
Jesus could not have been plainer when He
told us to go and make disciples of all nations. And we have to start
in our own back yards. Like winning the prize at an Easter egg hunt,
too many of us want to claim the victory in Jesus - and then “leave the
prize at the park.” We cannot do this! We must do whatever God tells
us to do…go wherever He sends us…and minister in whatever way He
instructs – to everyone He puts in our path. Nurturing a baby chick or
bunny may have been too much for some parents and children…but feeding
God’s sheep is a small price to pay for the glory of the LORD and
promise of Eternity with Him in Heaven.
When it comes to
Christian discipleship, we don’t get to pick and choose – or to “rig the
game.” And aren’t we glad?! Where is God calling you to disciple and
minister in Jesus’ name today? Are you listening? Are you ready to
take His hand and step up and out – to feed His sheep and further His
kingdom? Isn’t it time you were?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label nurturing new Christians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nurturing new Christians. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for May 26, 2015
James 2:19-20
Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
When Timothy was in pre-K, his class presented a Christmas program for parents, family members and friends in the sanctuary of the church campus where his “school” was held. We were not sure what Timothy would do – or if he would even perform. But as his class took its turn on the stage, he sang sweetly, did all of the choreography, and beamed with pride. And when his group finished their numbers, he bowed to the audience’s applause. He gave us the “thumbs up” and grinned from ear to ear…obviously proud of how he had performed.
After this performance, everyone had two choices…1) to celebrate the children’s performance and encourage them to continue learning new “material” and sharing it with others; or 2) to say, “Good job!” and go on our merry way and forget about what happened…and leave those children to their own devices. We have these same choices with new Christians, and I’m afraid that the latter is what happens quite often.
As James points out in this passage, it is one thing to decide to accept Jesus Christ…and totally another to truly live for Him. A lot of us seem to be playing a “numbers game” in our churches. Let’s add new members, put them to work and encourage them to “give of their time, talents and money.” We’re all about bringing someone to know Jesus and/or join our church body. But what happens then? Do we nurture these people in their faith? Do we check up on them to see how they are doing…encourage them to get to know God through scriptures and time spent in prayer and fellowship with other believers…offer them support and uplift them in their newfound faith or church home? Or do we record their name on a membership roll and move on to the next “target”?
What about your own Christian relationship? Have you invited Jesus to be your Lord and Savior…accepted His gift of salvation and the promise of Eternal Life in Paradise…then gone right back to your old way of living? As I have asked before, are you “in it” for the “get-out-of-hell ticket”…or do you really want a relationship with Jesus? Do you truly want to live in the light of His grace, mercy, forgiveness and unconditional love…or did you accept Him out of a sense of guilt, desperation, fear - or even peer pressure?
Are you really ready to study, learn and grow in your faith…and to become all that Jesus is calling you to be as His disciple? Or are you just one more mark in the Lamb’s Book of Life who took a bow, gave the thumbs up, and then went on your merry way? Are you making a point as a Christian…or is Jesus really making a difference in your life? ANYONE can say that they love Jesus and accept His gift of salvation…but this is only the beginning – or at least it should be!
What will your next move be? Will you move forward with Jesus…or remain stuck in the mud and muck of your old, sinful life? Will this be the day that you start to figure out where to go from here? Don’t you think it should be?
©2015 Debbie Robus
On a "housekeeping" note...I should have included these "homemade cleaner" recipes yesterday...so here goes...
Basic Cleaner...2 parts hydrogen peroxide to 1 part Dawn® dishwashing liquid. Great for pre-soaking clothing! If you are cleaning something like a rug stain and need less suds, use less Dawn®!
Heavy Cleaner (tile grout, etc.)...add 2-3 teaspoons of baking soda to the peroxide and Dawn® mixture. Do this in smaller quantities to get the full benefit of the "fizz" that the soda creates...similar to Oxy-clean.
Hardwood Floor Cleaner - 1 cup water, 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup alcohol, 2-3 drops Dawn® dish soap. This works GREAT, cleans the floors AND smells wonderful!
Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
When Timothy was in pre-K, his class presented a Christmas program for parents, family members and friends in the sanctuary of the church campus where his “school” was held. We were not sure what Timothy would do – or if he would even perform. But as his class took its turn on the stage, he sang sweetly, did all of the choreography, and beamed with pride. And when his group finished their numbers, he bowed to the audience’s applause. He gave us the “thumbs up” and grinned from ear to ear…obviously proud of how he had performed.
After this performance, everyone had two choices…1) to celebrate the children’s performance and encourage them to continue learning new “material” and sharing it with others; or 2) to say, “Good job!” and go on our merry way and forget about what happened…and leave those children to their own devices. We have these same choices with new Christians, and I’m afraid that the latter is what happens quite often.
As James points out in this passage, it is one thing to decide to accept Jesus Christ…and totally another to truly live for Him. A lot of us seem to be playing a “numbers game” in our churches. Let’s add new members, put them to work and encourage them to “give of their time, talents and money.” We’re all about bringing someone to know Jesus and/or join our church body. But what happens then? Do we nurture these people in their faith? Do we check up on them to see how they are doing…encourage them to get to know God through scriptures and time spent in prayer and fellowship with other believers…offer them support and uplift them in their newfound faith or church home? Or do we record their name on a membership roll and move on to the next “target”?
What about your own Christian relationship? Have you invited Jesus to be your Lord and Savior…accepted His gift of salvation and the promise of Eternal Life in Paradise…then gone right back to your old way of living? As I have asked before, are you “in it” for the “get-out-of-hell ticket”…or do you really want a relationship with Jesus? Do you truly want to live in the light of His grace, mercy, forgiveness and unconditional love…or did you accept Him out of a sense of guilt, desperation, fear - or even peer pressure?
Are you really ready to study, learn and grow in your faith…and to become all that Jesus is calling you to be as His disciple? Or are you just one more mark in the Lamb’s Book of Life who took a bow, gave the thumbs up, and then went on your merry way? Are you making a point as a Christian…or is Jesus really making a difference in your life? ANYONE can say that they love Jesus and accept His gift of salvation…but this is only the beginning – or at least it should be!
What will your next move be? Will you move forward with Jesus…or remain stuck in the mud and muck of your old, sinful life? Will this be the day that you start to figure out where to go from here? Don’t you think it should be?
©2015 Debbie Robus
On a "housekeeping" note...I should have included these "homemade cleaner" recipes yesterday...so here goes...
Basic Cleaner...2 parts hydrogen peroxide to 1 part Dawn® dishwashing liquid. Great for pre-soaking clothing! If you are cleaning something like a rug stain and need less suds, use less Dawn®!
Heavy Cleaner (tile grout, etc.)...add 2-3 teaspoons of baking soda to the peroxide and Dawn® mixture. Do this in smaller quantities to get the full benefit of the "fizz" that the soda creates...similar to Oxy-clean.
Hardwood Floor Cleaner - 1 cup water, 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup alcohol, 2-3 drops Dawn® dish soap. This works GREAT, cleans the floors AND smells wonderful!
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