It is essential for disciples of Jesus to be characterized by love, and to be devoted to Him. But for believers to be able to do that we must know His will. To do that we must know His message – Scripture.
The habit, or practice, of reading, studying, and meditating on God’s Word is fundamental to being a disciple of Christ. A disciple will not know who God is or what God wants without knowing God’s Word. A disciple commits himself to learning how to live as Jesus would have us live and follow Him.
But it would be a mistake that all there is to being a disciple is merely to master the content of the Bible. While learning facts and content is important and helpful, it is not the goal – the goal of discipleship is to know Jesus and follow Him, putting into practice His teachings in our everyday lives.
Still on the other hand, some think that the Bible is optional for Christians. Discipleship requires a commitment to learning about Jesus and His ways and His teachings. The lordship if Jesus is exercised when we carefully follow the teachings of the Bible as we can’t follow what we don’t know.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5, the apostle Paul described a key aspect of discipleship when he wrote about “taking our thoughts captive in obedience to Christ.” In Romans 12:2, Paul said it this way: “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”
That renewing of our minds takes place as we allow God’s Word to shape our thinking. So while knowledge is not the end goal of discipleship, it is vitally important, because how we think will determine how we live.
Paul describes the role Scripture should play in the life of a disciple: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
We see how important it is for disciples to stick with God’s Word. Therefore, I would like to challenge everyone to make the resolution for 2021 to read and study God’s Word faithfully. Become a daily bible reader and to take time to study.
Spiritual growth is directly dependent on our ...
