Hi.
Welcome to the fe2 Women’s Mentoring Network.
Welcome to the fe2 Women’s Mentoring Network.
A disciple of Christ has been defined as one who has “a mind through which Christ thinks, a voice through which Christ speaks, a heart through which Christ loves, and a hand through which Christ serves”. If we are going to think, speak, love and serve like Christ, then we must consistently press pause and pledge allegiance to His Kingdom Come, His Will Be Done, and not our own.
Read John 1:6-8. Who came to bear witness and for what purpose? As John the Baptist’s ministry continued and he was questioned by authorities, did he lose sight of who God was and who he was in relationship to Him? Read John 1: 26-27.
Read Matthew 19:16-22. If we are to follow Christ, we are told to do what in verse 17? This is a parable that quotes some of the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20. The man in the parable was convinced he had kept the law and so still questioned Jesus on what was left to do. He wanted to check another box on his highway to heaven. What did Jesus ask him to do?
One of the Ten Commandments listed in the above verses was to “not bear false witness”. How was the man in the parable bearing false witness if he was keeping the law? His struggle to fully pledge allegiance to God’s kingdom was evident when he was asked to surrender his own comfort and agenda. The man was specifically feeling what in verse 22? Why?
Owning possessions like the man in the parable is not wrong. It is how we prioritize their significance in our life. What possessions, accomplishments, or people in your life have you attributed more value and worth to than your relationship with the Lord? What do you need to do to reprioritize and pledge allegiance to Him?
None of us are perfect, but if you press pause and ponder your own witness, do you think it is more like John the Baptist and his humble attempt to point people to Jesus or more like the man in the parable and his attempt to be good enough?
What was God’s plan for us to see Him more clearly? Read John 12:45 and Hebrews 1:1-4. If Jesus is an exact imprint of who God is, then we must take the view off of ourselves and learn to see Jesus the way He wants us to see Him. That can only happen if we stop, look and listen to the Holy Spirit at work around all us. We will not be able to see others clearly if we do not first see Him through an undivided heart.
Matthew 5:8 states, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” What does it mean to be pure in heart? It is to be fully devoted to one thing. According to John Piper, “the aim of a pure heart is to align itself with the truth of God and magnify the worth of God”.
Read James 4:8. What is the command? What is the promise? How do we build a relationship with Him and draw near? We purify our hearts and get rid of a double-minded, divided allegiance that interferes with seeing Him clearly.
Luke 6:45 states that “from the overflow of our heart, the mouth speaks”. As a disciple of Christ, we must press pause and ponder the works of His hands to be effective ambassadors for Him.