The Disciple's Pledge

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I am a part of the Kingdom of God
I am a disciple of the King
By His grace I pledge my loyalty
I will not look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be silenced
My past is redeemed, my present is victorious, and my future is secure
I am through will low living, sight walking, smooth knees, and no vision
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, or popularity
I do not have to be right, recognized, regarded, or rewarded
I live by faith in His word. , walk by His Spirit, and labor by His power
My face is set, and my step is steady,
The road is narrow, but my destination is sure
My companions are few, but my guide is reliable
My purpose is clear, my victory unquestioned
I will not be detoured or delayed
I will not be compromised, lured away, or turned back
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice
Hesitate at the presence of adversity
Ponder at the pool of popularity
Meander in the maze of mediocrity, or
Negotiate at the table of the enemy
I will not give up, shut up, or let up
I want to be prayed up, and filled up until I am called up to heaven
Either at my death or His appearing
And when I see King Jesus
I want Him to be able to look at me and say
“He is My disciple.”

The Disciple's Pledge

I am a part of the Kingdom of God
I am a disciple of the King
By His grace I pledge my loyalty
I will not look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be silenced
My past is redeemed, my present is victorious, and my future is secure
I am through will low living, sight walking, smooth knees, and no vision
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, popularity
I do not have to be right, recognized, regarded, or rewarded
I live by faith in His word. Walk by His Spirit, and labor by His power
My face is set, my step is steady,
The road is narrow, but my destination is sure
My companions are few, but my guide is reliable
My purpose is clear, my victory unquestioned
I will not be detoured or delayed
I will not be compromised, lured away, or turned back
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice
Hesitate at the presents of adversity
Ponder at the pool of popularity
Meander in the maze of mediocrity, or
Negotiate at the table of the enemy
I will not give up, shut up, or let up
I want to be prayed up, and filled up until I am called up to heaven
Either at my death or His appearing
And when I see King Jesus
I want Him to be able to look at me and say
“He is My disciple.”

But You Can’t Fool God!

You can fool all of the people some of the time, you can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. (Or as Spanky from the Little Rascal’s would say, “But you can’t fool mom any of the time!”) So goes the old saying, at any rate. Perhaps more correctly stated; however, it should be said that you can never fool God.


The Psalmist writes “Take heed, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise? Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?” Psalm 94:8-9 (NIV)


There's no fooling God. There is no place we can go where He does not see our every move. Those people who think they have God fooled are only fooling themselves. God sees all things, He hears all things, knows all things...nothing escapes His attention. For those who live in sin, that is a very frightening thought. The question then becomes, do you care that God is watching? Are you glad to know that the Master sees all?


For those who walk in righteousness, there is no problem. I say, “Let the Lord watch!” It is good to know that He is here. It is comforting to know that He sees me. It means that, no matter what, I am never alone! And that produces a peace that passes all ability to understand and keeps me from a spirit of timidity.


Blessings,

Steve

The High Cost of Discipleship, con’t

So Sunday I’ll be preaching on the “When” of Spiritual Victory. The When is Today. Living for the King Today is what discipleship is all about. I will use Luke 9 as my text, particularly vs 23. “Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”’ (New King James Version) Daily we are to take up the mantle of Christ and carry the cross. This means the dying of self, daily. Later, in vs 57-62, three would-be disciples come and then go in disappointment. The cost were to high. Like the rich young ruler, they went away discouraged because they had much to loose. The real problem is that they had so very much more to gain.

But they, like many of us, cannot see past the limited sight of our future. Very intuitive people can see the probability of events taking place. They generally make good business people. Most of us see a very short distance into the future. Maybe a few hours. Even then we are often surprised. The car accident, phone call from the school, or other surprise upsets our apple cart. (One is quickly pulled back to 9/11) So these would-be disciples looked into the limited future and saw obstacles to following Jesus. Their problem was a lack of faith in who He was.

There is a theology floating about these days called Open Theism. Basically, it means that God cannot see into the future, nor can He control events in a drastic way. Oh, He may be able to see something coming, like a master chess player observing where His advisory is headed with a move. But He does not know for sure. What blasphemy! In-other-words, God was just as shocked about the presidential election as I was. He really couldn’t believe the outcome, even though He could sense the outcome. Let me tell you something people, God has never had to go sit on a stump and think things over. (I go walking around the cemetery when I need “thinking time”) Let me say it this way. Has it ever occurred to you, that nothing has ever occurred to God? Think about that.

The would-be’s didn’t trust that Jesus knew what was best for them. Let me go and bury my father. (He was staking his financial claim. Let me sew up my inheritance, then I’ll follow you.) Let me say good bye to my friends, says another. (Let me make sure I have a place to come back to if Your plan fails, Jesus.) The other leaves with out offering an excuse. He “hears” that Jesus doesn’t have a plan. Foxes and birds have no plan. "If Jesus has no plan, I’m outta here."

But Jesus calls us to faith as disciples. We trust in Him. We put our entire being into His care. It is what faith is all about. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. True discipleship is about trust. I place my trust in Him.

Blessings

Steve

The High Cost Of Discipleship

I preached about the “Where” of Spiritual Victory Sunday. Where can we find SV? Dab smack in the middle of God’s will. Jonah ran from God’s will, Paul stumbled into God’s wills, Demas forsook God’s will. Staying the course in God’s will requires a steadfastness and a devotion to the cause of discipleship. Sometimes the cost can be very high. Tradition tells us that every disciple of Christ, except John, was martyred. (The tradition says that Emperor Domitian attempted to kill the aged apostle but failed when God turned the pot of boiling oil into a relaxing sauna. Something I imagine the old boy really liked. In his youth Jesus called him Boanerges...a Son of Thunder. John regularly popped off at the mouth allowing his feelings to get ahead of his brains. He probably had mellowed in his octogenarian state and a hot Greek bath, I’m sure, suited him.) So the disciples were asked to pay the price of their lives.

Few of us today have been asked to sacrifice much. We sit in air conditioned churches on padded pews. My kids have sacrificed much more than me, as many school changes as there are years enrolled, or so it seems. And so has Patty, who has stopped her career so I can pursue mine many times. Nevertheless, the cost is real. The high cost of discipleship actually cost us all the same thing, and that is all that there is. We are called to give nothing less than everything. Our lives, our fortunes, and sensibilities, and certainly our pride and our dignity. Discipleship costs familial relationships, fellowship, and financial stability.

However, the high calling is also highly regarded. I will never have much in this ole world. That is apparent to me by now. But what I have is ultimately fulfilling. My children and parents have come to know the Lord during my ministry. I am blessed with a Christian wife. I have friends through out the country and have had the opportunity to regularly share the gifts God has given me. I’ll take a hug from a baby believer in the baptistery over earthly treasure any day.

And why wouldn’t we give all we have? Jesus gave Himself, and compared to that what is a little money...or even a little dignity?! Because of Christ, I no longer need preeminence or prosperity, to be labeled as right or to be recognized.

So, the other John...you know, the baptizer...said it best when he said, “I must decrease. He must increase.” What is discipleship? It is decreasing King “I” to the deference of King Jesus.

Blessings,

Steve