Disciple part 1
I touched on this yesterday, but I want to really dig into it for the next few days. What does it mean to be a disciple? Well, we kind of need to start with answering the question, "A disciple of what?" Or who? So let's make it plain. "A new commandment I give unto you, That yelove one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love on to another" (John 13:34-35). So we're talking about being a disciple of Jesus (at least in this Rant). We're talking about being a disciple of love. People will know that we are disciples of Jesus, disciples of love, by the love that they see from us. That's where the rubber meets the road. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, as they say. But here's the thing--as we saw yesterday, "disciples" is number 3101 in Strong's Greek Concordance and it means, "a learner, that is pupil:- disciple." To be a disciple of love is to be a student of love. Being a disciple doesn't mean we never make a mistake. It doesn't mean we are "perfect" in the pro wrestler Mr. Perfect sense. It means we are learning to love. And the only way we can learn how TO love is by learning how we ARE loved. And the only way we can learn how we are loved is by letting God love us. I think one of the most important disctinctions in the Bible is between Adam, God's son (Luke 3:38), and Jesus, the beloved Son of God (Mark 1:11). Which, of course, is not to say that God didn't love Adam. Of course He did. God IS love. That's not just what He does, that's who He is. The difference is that Jesus KNEW He was loved. Jesus let Himself BE loved. While Adam was trying to earn the love of God through his actions, Jesus simply receieved it and released it. He let the love of His Father equip and empower Him. And in that same way... guys... that's what the New Commandment is! Let Jesus love you and then love Him back by loving each other with that same love. But first things first is the "let Jesus love you" part. And that comes from keeping your heart open. "Guarding" your heart by making sure you keep it open to love. That's what the heart is for. And that, by the way, is where God lives. Its HIS heart beating with love in our chests. What we need to learn is to listen to that still, small voice deep inside. To let ourselves be loved. So see ourselves the way God sees us. And here's how He sees us: When God looks at us He sees Jesus. When God looks at Jesus He sees us. Jesus is our true identity. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body. So this learning... it comes from within. What is within coming out as we know and believe that its in there. As we learn that its in there. As we learn what it means for it to be in there. That's what this life is all about: Its not about finding something we don't have. Its about finding out what we do have. Its not about becoming someone we're not. Its about understanding, and accepting, who we are. Who we REALLY are. Its about being a disciple of love. A learner of love. Learning how to love as we learn how we are loved!