Believer vs. Disciple
Are you a believer in Jesus or a disciple of Jesus? Or both?
Verse of the Day
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.”
Today’s Devotional
Sometime in November of last year, I was reading through the book of John. My husband and I were on the same reading plan and the same verse jumped out at each of us. (We discussed it later.) “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.””
I believe in Jesus. I’m guessing you do too. So Jesus is talking to us in this verse. That leads me to the question, “Do I truly want to be a disciple of Jesus?” There is a difference between someone who is a believer versus one who is a disciple. The dictionary describes a disciple as “one who accepts and assists in the spreading of the doctrines of another”. Again, I can believe in Jesus as Savior and not be ready to fully submit my life to Him or assist in spreading the message of His Good News.
I want to confirm my decision to be “all in” for Jesus. I want to be a faithful disciple of Jesus. That’s why today’s verse jumped out at me. It made me want to study what, exactly, are the teachings of Jesus.
No matter where you are in your faith journey, it’s always a good idea to look at what Jesus actually taught us. That’s what we are going to do. And I do not take this assignment lightly. I have felt God nudging me in the direction of this study for weeks. I have had to confess my fear and ask for His help. But, despite the fear, I REALLY want to know what Jesus taught.
When you were in school, did you ever have a teacher who gave a quiz “just to see how much you already know and understand”? I hated those quizzes. But ever since today’s verse jumped out to me weeks ago, I have had this sinking feeling that I don’t adequately know the teachings of Jesus. How in the world am I going to remain faithful to something I don’t know?
Our eternal salvation is a free gift from God when we believe in Jesus. Ephesians 2:8 says, ‘God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.’ Discipleship, however, is costly. It requires dying to self. It requires obedience. It requires a life that will look very different than what this world esteems.
Please bear in mind: I am not coming to you today as a faithful disciple asking you to join me in discipleship. I am simply sharing my journey with you. I’m going to study the teachings of Jesus and I invite you to join me.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
If a stranger looked at your life, would they be able to tell that you believe in Jesus? Why or why not?
How does the thought of being a disciple of Jesus scare you?
What are the teachings of Jesus that you hold dear?
If someone asked you to teach others the teachings of Jesus, what would you say?