Happy 1st Birthday Elizabeth!

Elizabeth - Year One from Kevin Boyd on Vimeo.

Average Christians Need Not Apply

In case you didn't know: The disciple is not the deluxe or heavy-duty model of the Christian! There are no categories, such as: 1) The Average Christian and 2) The Disciple. Disciples are all of those who have decided to follow Jesus. If you call yourself a Christian...that's you. What does a disciple look like...what is their goal?

Jesus said, (in Matthew)“It is enough for a disciple that he become like his teacher”; and (in Luke) “After he has been fully trained, he will be like his teacher”. Paul wrote (to the Corinthian Church) “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

Most Simply, Jesus said:
“Come Follow Me...”

The Struggle is found in one’s whole life is being discipleship...

For Jesus’ twelve disciples, family and occupations were deserted for long periods to go with Jesus as he traveled and did ministry. As they spent time with Him, His character and His ways began to rub-off on them. The mechanics are not the same today, as we cannot literally follow Him in the same way as his first disciples could; but the priorities and intentions, the heart and inner attitudes, of disciples are forever the same. The 12 didn't just want to know what Jesus knew...they wanted to be like Jesus and wanted to learn to do what He did. And while their faith in Jesus was important, so was Jesus' faith in His disciples. He left everything in their hands.

Paul wrote to Timothy "The things I've passed on to you, entrust them to others who will also be qualified to pass it on".

And so here we are, players in the same story; and the person of Jesus is real to us. Our appropriate response is to be His disciples, by spending time with Him in an effort to know Him, to become like Him, and to make Him known to others.

Back to the daily grind.

I hope you had the opportunity to slow down and enjoy time with friends and family this past holiday weekend. You have probably realized today: the weekend is most-definitely over! Life tends to be fast, busy, and often chaotic; but here's a word from an on-again-off-again work-a-holic / yes-man:

There are many good things in life that we are asked to do. Sometimes we have to say 'no' to some good things in order to do other good things with quality. Some of the good things we must always say 'yes' to are development of our personal relationship with God and with our families. Never sacrifice your personal relationship time with God or your family for work, even for ministry. It will not work, and always has a bad end.