Becoming A Disciple

So no one can become my disciple unless he first sits down and counts his blessings—and then renounces them all for me.

Luke 14:33 TLB

Do you know what it means to be a disciple? A disciple is, literally, a scholar, a learner, especially one who believes in the doctrine of his teacher and follows him. A disciple acknowledges there is one who knows more than he does. A disciple is a person who realizes he needs to learn more than he knows now—and the more he learns the more he realizes he needs to learn.

A disciple must spend time with his teacher in order to gain wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. He knows he cannot get it by osmosis or any other way. It would be like trying to graduate from college without ever attending classes. It is impossible to do. One must interact with one’s professors, asking questions, receiving answers, and studying the assigned material.

All of us who belong to Christ are (or ought to be) His disciples. Unlike the original disciples, we cannot physically spend time with Jesus. But we can hear Him speak and learn from Him just the same by reading what He said when he was here, by speaking to Him through prayer, and by determining to be obedient to His teachings. This is the ultimate proof that one is a disciple: if he follows the commands of his teacher.

Jesus said that he who keeps God’s commandments is the one who truly loves God. Are you a disciple of the Lord Jesus?

Our Father and our God, You sent Jesus to be the Master Teacher, and I want to be His disciple. I want to learn from Him, learn about Him, and learn about You and Your will for me. Give me insight, Father. Give me wisdom to use what I learn well. In the name of the Master. Amen.

Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).