The last few weeks we’ve been talking about the cost of Discipleship. I believe it’s critical that we take our walk with God beyond salvation. I don’t believe being saved is the finality or totality of God’s will for our lives. I believe there’s purpose in our salvation! That purpose is fulfilled through Discipleship. What is Discipleship? In short…its following Jesus with your life. In my estimation this is what takes our relationship with God to a whole new level. When we decide that there is purpose in our salvation. When we understand that salvation is not merely security in heaven, but it means a new way of living our lives. It means setting aside what we want from life and committing ourselves to what God wants for us. Not everyone has it in them to make that kind of committment. You see Discipleship has a price tag. You will have to count the cost and be willing to pay the price attached to that kind of committment. Psalms 90:12 says “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.” Discipleship is recognizing that life has an ultimate goal. That life has an intended purpose. When we commit ourselves to that purpose the course of our life takes on a whole new meaning. Discipleship is not easy, but its worth it. When you commit yourself to being used by God in supernatural ways to affect the world around it brings a whole new meaning to the Christian life. This in my estimation is the ultimate will of God. That each of us commit our lives to being used of God to make a difference in the world we’re living in. How will the world be impacted by the church? It will happen when the church commits itself to being devoted followers to the will of God! It’s through that committment that the world will see and experience the supernatural power of God. As we grow in our committment, devotion, and understanding of God’s expectations for our lives we will be empowered to accomplish things beyond our human abilities. Discipleship is a process and if we’re willing to endure the process we will ultimately reap the rewards associated to that level of commitment. So don’t be satisfied with being saved….See what else God has planned for your life…Becoming a Disciple will unveil and reveal a whole new level of living for those who are willing to pay the price of Discipleship!

Luke 22:39 “Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed Him.” I was thinking about Jesus in the final hours of His life on the Mount of Olives. He went to his usual place and began to pray. Praying about what lied ahead. Praying for strength to endure. He even prayed for a possible intervention! Yet, He also prayed for the will of God, even if it meant going through the pain He was certain He would endure. The part that struck me the most was the pleading with His disciples to pray with Him. I sense almost a frustration on the part of Jesus that they were unable to discern the magnitude of what was happening in that moment. More than once He called on them to pray and in this epic moment in the Life of Jesus they decided to sleep instead. I’m sure they were tired. We can’t fault them for wanting to rest after a long, hard day of ministry! On the other hand I can’t fathom no matter how difficult the day was, this was Jesus requesting their prayers! I haven’t been able to locate any other time in the New Testament where Jesus made such a heart felt request. Why was it so hard for them to pray? Were they really that exhausted? I have a hard time trying to be too analytical or critical of the disciples in this situation because in my own life I’ve had critical moments in my life where I needed to be praying. Yet, for whatever reason I failed to put forth the effort to match the need of the hour. I know we’re tired. We’ve been studying, working, training, listening, and learning. It’s hard to think about anything else beyond the physical demands of living each day, but guy’s there’s more to life than taking care of physical needs. We need someone to pray! Pray earnestly for what lies ahead, for the hurting, for the bruised, for the rejected, we need to pray together. Let’s not allow this moment to pass us by! No matter how tired you are or how long the day has been, find time to pray today!