Reflections

Discipleship

Although the word 'disciple' means a learner, this does not mean that we sit like students in a classroom storing up facts and information  about the Lord Jesus Christ. Each truth He unfolds has to be lived out in practical situations, where it can be fully understood.

No sooner does Christ begin to reveal some new truth to one of His disciples than He opens up some special circumstance in which that truth can be tested. If, for example, you have a need to understand the meaning of forgiveness toward others, then you can be sure that it will not be long before you find yourself in a situation where you will be called upon to do just that. If, on the other hand, God sees that you have a particular need to understand the real meaning of patience, then He will engineer a set of circumstances in which that patience will be tested. You see, all your affairs are in the hands of a Master-Teacher who knows the value of an on-the-spot education. Each disciple must be tested on one point, before he can move on to other things, and God's examinations are designed for  the personal benefit of each one of His pupils.

There are no "memory exercises" in this school, for each lesson has to be lived out in terms of personal experience. No one can learn tomorrow's lessons until he has covered the groundwork that is needed for today, anymore than a child can be taught geometry until he has first learned the twelve times table. So apply yourself willingly to all that  He wants to teach you today, and tomorrow will yield a whole new scale of values, in the exciting world of Christian Discipleship.