John 8:48-51 WEB
Then the Jews answered him, “Don’t we say well that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?” [49] Jesus answered, “I don’t have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. [50] But I don’t seek my own glory. There is one who seeks and judges. [51] Most certainly, I tell you, if a person keeps my word, he will never see death.”
This verse gives the secret to eternal life. Many would say the secret is to believe in Jesus. But Jesus testified that anyone who does the work of obeying his word is a believer. Jesus says those are his true disciples.
Modern-day discipleship looks very different. In Jesus’ day, a Rabbi was a teacher who had a small cadre of disciples. The Rabbi attempted to impart their beliefs and teachings to this small group. In Jesus’ day, his disciples would have stayed as close as possible. They would have tried not to be more than an arm’s length away from their Rabbi. In fact, that may be why Peter, James, and John were in Christ’s inner circle. They chose to stay as close as possible to their master.
In our modern era, we have discipleship declared by the disciple rather than the teacher. Each of us is to be a disciple of Christ. We are going to be called names and condescended to, that’s part of the disciple package. Remember, the world loves its own. If you try to follow Jesus perfectly you may be called a religious nut or demonized. They did that to Jesus.
Lord Jesus, please draw me close to you so that I may walk the way you walked. I want to be a disciple in deeds and not words only. Come and work with me Lord and help me grow in godliness. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Keys of Love 