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.”
When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.
Today’s Devotional
We have been looking at “Who is God?” for a few weeks. Now we are going to switch gears a bit and look at the teachings of Jesus, because according to Hebrews 1:3, “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God”. Jesus has much to teach us about God, the Kingdom of Heaven, and how we get to participate. The invitation that Jesus extends repeatedly in the Bible is, “Follow me.” This is an invitation to discipleship. I have been getting many messages recently on obedience and discipleship. The two verses above are ones that stand out like a spotlight is shining on them (for me). These are the words of Jesus. He is telling us that there is a difference between believing in Him and being His disciple.
I believe in Jesus. I’m guessing you do too. So Jesus is talking to us in these verses, not just to the original audience. 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”. My church defines a disciple as “a learner, a student, a follower; one who becomes like the one they’re following. A disciple [of Jesus] is someone who has considered their ways and counted the cost and decided they want to follow Jesus. They want to be with Jesus. They want to be like Jesus. They want to learn to think like Him and talk like Him and act like Him and live like Him. They have decided to arrange and rearrange their life around Jesus.” Again, I can believe in Jesus as Savior and not be ready to fully submit my life to Him or want to do anything that would help me to become more like Him.
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 verses have made such an impression on me. It made me want to study what, exactly, are the teachings of Jesus. What are the commandments He is asking me to obey in order to remain in His love?
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 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. How would you do on a quiz about what Jesus actually taught? I have 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?