Sometimes, taking the first step is the hardest.
It can also be the most rewarding. It gets you in motion.
Then, Newton’s First Law of Motion helps out a little. (Also called the Law of Inertia...An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion...with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.) Notice that I said "a little."
Once you set out on your journey with the Lord, the enemy is that unbalanced force that will do what it can to slow you down or change your direction. Away from Jesus.
Expect it. It will happen. It's happened to me. Countless times. It continues to happen.
But that's not the point. The point is to get started. Starting right where you are. Just as you are.
The journey of discipleship has to start somewhere. Being a Disciple of Jesus Christ, I believe, begins at the point you meet Jesus and accept His free offer of salvation and commit to Him as your Savior and Lord. Often that's messy and it rarely involves a life that is neat and tidy. It happens right where you are. Just as you are.
At my church, New Hope, we have sort of an unwritten Discipleship Process that starts with people, just as they are.
To start being a Disciple of Jesus Christ, you don’t have to have achieved a certain level of spiritual maturity. You don’t have to have a certain number of Bible verses committed to memory. You don’t have to have the books of the Bible memorized in order. You don’t have to have a habit of praying five times a day. You don’t have to be a certain age. You don't have to be a regular church attendee.
You start where you are. Right where you are. Just as you are.
An aside...the discipleship journey is a little like this blog. I'm adding posts to the blog just as it is right now (of course, how it looks depends on when you interact with it). It doesn't look like I eventually want it to look. It’s not finished.
It will probably never be finished.
There are tweaks and features that I want to and will add in the days ahead. To be honest, I’m a bit of a perfectionist and I could literally take months to get the design of the blog looking just right before I opened it up to the public or even added any posts.
Like the Christian life, I think it should be shared before it looks just right. Seeing the blog develop over time can be likened to seeing a Christ follower develop over time. One step at a time.
I’ll make changes as I go along and hopefully include a poignant explanation of why I’m changing or adding to the blog.
And I'll add posts that will describe how the Lord is changing me on my own discipleship journey as I take yet another step in my own walk with the Lord.
Did you like how I threw that word in there a few sentences back? Poignant? That word makes me smile. It’s a story I’d love to share with you sometimes. But not now.
For now, this blog...and me...and you if you are reading along...are on a journey. Hopefully your journey is like mine, one of following Jesus Christ.
Starting just where we are...just as we are.
Let's take a step.
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