Disciples' Road

We are born for a reason. God picked this time and place for us to live our lives because He knew there'll be so many lives we would touch. The road may be tough, but it'll be worth it.

But sometimes, we become what's called an unconverted believer. We don't practice what we preach. As a result, we block others to know about Him.

So how should the real Christian be? What does it really mean to be His disciple?

Here are the several things I learned while rediscovering:

1. God made the first move by calling us.

I still wonder how He manages to do that with all His power. But I'm thankful for it. We didn't choose this, but He did it for us. And because of this, we become long-time learner believers. We believe in Him and learn to be more like Him. 

But we must be cautious of being complacent in our walk with Him. Every day is a privilege to get better than yesterday, and He's helping us do so. Let's take this as a journey together with Him.

2. Our hearts change as we walk along.

There are times we get lost on the road, but I'm glad to know there's always a way back. When we repent, there's an elemental transformation in everything. We're a new creation in Him. We dedicate ourselves to live and act differently.

And it's glad to know that His kindness leads us toward it. To this, He'll give us His heart and His Spirit that we need in this life course.

3. We should be assured that God meets all our needs.
Life's difficulties can overwhelm us, but He knows all of them. He'll take care of them. All we need to do is to receive the rest He gives us. We can get peace of mind because we can trust Him for that.

We can do this because He has already met our greatest need- to be forgiven of our sins so that we can be reconciled with Him. It's what Jesus can do that we can't do, and I'm forever grateful for that.

4. Our hearts speak of our love for Him.

When we speak things out of love for Him, it shows how much He matters in our lives. We can't put aside all the amazing things He did to our lives. We can't alter things about Him to fit our taste. This is all because of a fruitful relationship with Him.

Apart from being our Lord and Savior, He is importantly our Father. He is a Father even to those without one. He is full of love, nurture, giving, protection, availability, discipline, and forgiveness- all that can be found in a great Dad. That's the relationship we should keep in mind.

5. You need the church on the journey.

It's interesting to know that being Jesus' disciple means being His disciplined learner and follower. If we're serious with this, then we should be committed. We should be committed to His Lordship and Christhood.

Since we're practitioners in this faith we're in, we ought to learn from one another. And not just that, we ought to be His intended church. We should be a church in the spirit of love, care, honor, service, and encouragement. As a church, no one gets left behind.

This was a reminder for every one of us, regardless of our paces in our walk with Him. These learnings will be taken to heart. But if there's one thing that would sum up everything I learned from here, it's that our decision to follow Jesus with our hearts comes not only for the need of reconciling with Him but also for the commitment to live for the One we gave our lives to.

So why do we follow Him? Do we follow Him because we want a ticket for eternity and do whatever we want? Do we see this world as our eternal home?

The Christian life isn't meant to be a life of comfort, but a life of purpose in Him. Our obedience to Him should be a priority. Our commitment to Him should be full, not partial. It should be done wholeheartedly, not halfheartedly. We all have different life journeys, but it's our response to His calling in our lives that matters.