The 2010 R's of Discipleship

Dear Young Friend,

If you have been to any of our recent Bible studies, you know that we have been working through the text of Paul's second letter to his disciple Timothy. We have been focusing on a process of coming to God daily that is essential to our spiritual growth. Because our challenge by Pastor Doug on the sign outside by the road is to "make worship a priority in 2010," we have to consider what that means and how to live up to the charge!

Here is the process we discussed:

1) Recognize: We have to recognize that we have a sin problem, and we have to understand that sin in all its forms separates us from peace with our God.

2) Reflect: We must reflect on God's Word, because the Bible is the only place to find the Truth that sets us free from our bondage to sin.

3) Repent: We must repent of our sin. In other words, you and I have to understand that we are totally lost in life without God's forgiveness, and we must beg Him for grace (giving us what we do not deserve).

4)Reconcile: We must reconcile with God. Basically, we must make peace with God by allowing Jesus to heal us of our independent attitude and commit to follow God with more passion.

5) Reach Out: We must reach out to our lost friends and family. We have to learn how to communicate the good news about Jesus and then actually share Jesus with someone verbally.

Allow me to share a quote from one of my favorite authors, Paul David Tripp, "When I come to the Lord after I have blown it, I have only one argument to make. It is not the argument of the difficulty of the environment that I am in. It is not the argument of the difficult people that I am near. It is not the argument of good intentions that were thwarted in some way. No, I have only one argument. I come to the Lord with only one appeal, His mercy. I have no other defense. I have no other standing. I have no other hope. I cannot escape the reality of my biggest problem - me!" (Whiter Than Snow, 21)

When we focus on God, we have to be ready to give up who we are in order to gain the blessings of who He is. Are you ready to do that this year? If you are not, then you probably are not saved, and you need the grace of God to fill your life. Recognize you are the problem. Reflect on what Scripture teaches about salvation. Repent of your rebellion against God. Reconcile with Him and live for Him. Reach out with your testimony and impact the lives of people you know who have no hope.

James