15 lines
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15 lines
4.4 KiB
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<html><head><title>Blue Letter Bible: Day By Day By Grace — Bob Hoekstra</title>
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<div class="head">Day By Day By Grace</div>
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<div class="subhead">Bob Hoekstra</div>
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<div class="desc-center"><div class="pad2020">December 19</div></div>
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<h1>Following Jesus as a Disciple</h1>
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<div class="block"><i>"Go therefore and make <b>disciples</b> of all the nations…<b>Follow Me</b>…<b>If</b> anyone <b>desires</b> to <b>come after Me</b>, let him <b>deny himself</b>, and take up <b>his cross</b> <b>daily</b>, and <b>follow Me</b>."</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Mat', 28, '19-19');">Matthew 28:19</a>; <a onClick="return mV('Jhn', 1, '43-43');">John 1:43</a>; and <a onClick="return mV('Luk', 9, '23-23');">Luke 9:23</a>)</div>
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<p>Living daily by God's grace depends upon getting to know Him and then walking in the humility and faith that result from fellowship with Him. We have reflected upon four ways to relate rightly to the Lord in humility and faith: <b>living</b> by the <b>Spirit</b>, <b>living</b> by <b>resurrection power</b>, <b>living</b> by the <b>sufficiency</b> of <b>God</b>, and <b>living</b> by the <b>promises</b> of <b>God</b>. Another example is <b>following Jesus as a disciple</b>.</p><p>When our Lord was about to leave His disciples, He gave them the marching orders that were to guide the lives of His people until He would return. <i>"Go therefore and make <b>disciples</b> of all the nations."</i> Jesus had been calling out people to follow Him as disciples. Now, they were to continue doing the same. A disciple is a follower of a master, who guides and shapes the lives of his followers. Jesus is the ultimate Master, who gives us a new life in Him—life eternal. Jesus' invitation to discipleship was <i>"<b>Follow Me</b>."</i> Along with this invitation, Jesus often explained the terms of discipleship: <i>"<b>If</b> anyone <b>desires</b> to <b>come after Me</b>."</i> This would inform the willing and interested about how to respond. These terms dramatically depict the necessity of relating to the Lord in humility and faith.</p><p>The first aspect of being a disciple of Jesus is <b>renouncing</b> the <b>self-life</b>. <i>"Let him <b>deny himself</b>."</i> True disciples refuse to develop their lives by fallen human resources (which are inherited from Adam through physical birth). Thus, followers of Jesus are to repudiate self-sufficiency, self-help, self-righteousness, self-exaltation, and the like. Our willingness to embrace this term of discipleship will be seen by our humble agreement with similar biblical pronouncements. <i>"Make <b>no</b> provision for the <b>flesh</b>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Rom', 13, '14-14');">Romans 13:14</a>). Those denying self do not want the flesh to have opportunities to indulge itself. <i>"The <b>flesh</b> profits <b>nothing</b>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Jhn', 6, '63-63');">John 6:63</a>). Those who renounce self confess its total spiritual bankruptcy. We <i>"have <b>no confidence</b> in the <b>flesh</b>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Phl', 3, '3-3');">Philippians 3:3</a>). Those who repudiate the self-life do not want to place any hope in the natural resources of the flesh. <i>"That <b>no flesh</b> should <b>glory</b> in <b>His presence</b>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('1Cr', 1, '29-29');">1 Corinthians 1:29</a>). Those denying the self-life agree that nothing of the flesh can ever boast in itself before the Lord God Almighty.</p>
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<div class="dbdbg_prayer">Dear Lord Jesus, I want to relate rightly to You by following You as a disciple. I do not want my flesh to have any opportunity to indulge itself. I confess total spiritual bankruptcy in my flesh. I want to place no hope in my flesh. I agree that my flesh can never boast before You. I humbly renounce the self-life!</div></div></div><div class="desc-center"><div class="pad2020"><a href="./devotions/daybyday/12/1218.html">Yesterday's Reading</a>
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