HarvestInsider

“I have come they may have life, and have it to the full”  John 10:10

Many people read John 10:10 and think “there is absolutely nothing full about the life of a disciple.”  They can’t think of anything more dull than a life of following all the rules and being under authority.  They believe that the pathway to happiness is found in pursuing our every urge and desire.

Even those who follow Jesus can believe that the life that Christ offers is one of boredom and drudgery.  It can easily feel as if God is an eternal kill-joy that seemingly seeks to squash anything in life that might be fun or exciting.  Yet, a genuine disciple of Christ sees the instructions of God as a blessing, or a pathway, to the very best life.  A disciple is convinced that God is leading them to a life that we all desire, a longing that resides beneath the surface of selfish desires, and at the core of our soul.

The journey of discipleship is not about giving up freedom,  but about admitting that He knows the way to the best and fullest kind of life. Real freedom is found in letting go of control, and trusting the leadership of the Master.  There is no other road to real freedom than this.

by Tucker Hibbs

“Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?”  Luke 6:46

According to dictionary.com, the word “Lord” is defined as “a person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler.”  To sum it up, if someone is Lord, they are the boss, they are the authority, they are the master.  Jesus never stepped away from the title of “Lord” knowing that His rightful place in the lives of mankind was to be the Master.  He can be nothing less than Lord in the lives of men.

Our problem becomes when we use the title “Lord”, yet fail to recognize the depth of its meaning.  “Why do you call me “Lord, Lord”, and do not do what I say?” is a legitimate question for you and I.  Christ has thrust it upon every heart, and demands that you and I step to the witness stand and give account of our actions.  We must take a earnest look at the answer to this question found in the way we live our lives.

When we own up to our failures, it is the first step in allowing Christ to take His proper place as Lord.  When we surrender to his rebuke of correction, not excusing ourselves, but rather humbling ourselves before Him, He takes the throne of Lordship in our hearts.  Without the surrender to His gentle correction, we will never be able to call Him “Lord” in complete confidence.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” – Matthew 22:37

The experts say that if you want to master something, it will take at least 10 thousand hours of practice or study.  Whether it is becoming a master musician, or a professional athlete, or an expert in a specific field, it will require you to invest roughly 10,000 hours or more in the pursuit of becoming a master in that field.  That is a huge time commitment, and only a few people are willing to ultimately pay that price.

Is being an expert of Christ of greater worth than being a master musician or a world class athlete?  Paul seems to think so.  He writes in Philippians 3:8,  “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ”.  A genuine disciple understands that Christ is worth committing their lives to follow.

If you have not made the decision to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ, you can do it right now.  There is nothing that will be more rewarding.

By Carol Lopez

At once they left their nets and followed him.  Matthew 4:20

In Matthew 9:9, Jesus sees a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth.  As He is walking by, he stops and says to Matthew, “Follow me”, and Matthew does something wildly radical… He instantly gets up and follows Jesus!  There was no delay, no hesitation, and no request for more time.  Matthew got up and left his booth and followed Jesus.

What was Matthew following Jesus for?  Matthew obviously had become convinced that the imprint of Jesus life upon his own was worth walking away from a lucrative government job as a tax collector.  He had to have the conviction that life following Jesus would be a radical upgrade from his present state.  He believed that it was worth leaving all to embrace the invitation to follow Jesus.

In order to be a disciple, one has to be willing to instantly let go of all, to experience the privilege of walking with Jesus.  Jesus offers us His teachings to learn from and a model to follow, and he offers these things because He loves us and wants our very best.  It is the confidence in this relationship that gives us the impetus to let go of things that matter little to connect with Christ, who matters most.

So, when Jesus invites us to follow, let it all go and follow.  His invitation is worth giving up all to accept.

by Jude Fernandes

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain”.  Exodus 20:7

The third commandment has been greatly misunderstood by the majority of people.  For most, they take it as a warning about using God’s name as a swear word.  But if you study the Hebrew word that is translated “take” in Exodus 20:7, you will find that the word actually means “to take in hand, to grab hold of, to take possession of.”  In fact, this word has nothing at all to do with what comes out of your mouth, but rather what you take unto yourself.

When we call ourselves “Christians” we are taking the name of Christ as our identity.  When you made the decision to follow Christ, you were entering into a covenant relationship with Him… which included taking His Name as an identifying feature of your life.  Your identity is no longer wrapped up in an earthly name, but rather you became a new creation, in a new family, with a new Master, and a new name.

The Bible uses the picture of marriage to illustrate the relationship that we have with God.  We enter into a relationship with God, not because we have to, but because we choose to.  When we enter into this union, we then take His name.  The name that we used to bear is gone, and the name of Christ now becomes our identity.  This is the picture of salvation.  This is the picture of being a disciple.

As a disciple, everything you do reflects on the name of Christ, your Master.  This is why God has made it very clear that taking Christ’s name as your own should be done with the full understanding of its implications.  Discipleship is only for those willing to fully surrender to the Mastery of Jesus Christ.

“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”  1 Corinthians 11:1

Would you believe that you could sum up the call of every disciple in the phrase “Monkey See, Monkey Do”?  As a disciple, we are never to be about doing our own thing, charting our own path, or making our own way.  Instead, we are to follow the example and the lead of Jesus in everything we do.  To do anything else would be to miss the whole idea of discipleship.

This is why many believers utilize the W.W.J.D. concept to help them navigate the journey of life.  They continually ask themselves, “What would Jesus do?”  When you’re cut off in traffic, what would Jesus do?  When your spouse is getting on your nerves, what would Jesus do?  When you are wrestling with how to prioritize your spending plan, what would Jesus do?  Once we begin to see the character of Christ in our everyday circumstances, the journey of discipleship begins to become clear.

Today, take a moment before every decision and every action and ask, “What would Jesus do?  or  “How would Jesus respond?”  You might find that your life begins to look a lot more like Jesus, and a lot less like you.