8:34 And turning to the mass of people with his disciples, he said to them, If any man has the desire to come after me, let him give up all other desires, and take up his cross and come after me. To be a disciple of Jesus Christ, 'head knowledge' is not enough... it's not enough to write pretty words in this MY CHURCH blog or be able to recite the Bible at the drop of hat or hold a high office in the Church. I, by the way, feel comfortable with "living in my head" most of the time. I'm an introvert from a long line of introverts. Unfortunately, there is nothing in the Bible that says, "Introverts are excused from the more 'out there' experiences of discipleship". As I read through all the Gospels it is clear that Discipleship is an experience-- to have an experience with Jesus. This reminds me of my closest earthly relationship -- that of being wife, lover, friend to Ed over the past 38 years. When we have spent a fair amount of time apart, pouring ourselves into our respective work and passions, if we don't connect for a few daily meaningful words and other gestures of commitment, we drift apart. It's hard to have an experience with someone you love if you are always comfortably "doing your own thing" while they comfortably "do their own thing". So, as much as I enjoy puttering around with the computer and doing all my other little empty-nest, semi-retired, introverty activities, if I REALLY mean it when I say that I love Ed, then I need to leave my computer on a regular basis and join my guy in some mutual experiences. 6:43 Jesus answered them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 6:45 It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 6:46 Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father. 6:47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 6:48 I am the bread of life. 6:49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 6:50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh." 6:52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" 6:53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; 6:54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 6:55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 6:56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 6:57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. 6:58 This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever." Jesus expressed these words not long after he fed the 5000 (John 6:1-14). The people were still caught up in the worldly wonders, however, still seeing the potential for Jesus to be the worldly King they longed for. But that was not Jesus' purpose, was it?  Page 389 of The Desire of Ages states: "To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ is to receive Him as a personal Saviour, believing that He forgives our sins, and that we are complete in Him. It is by beholding his love, by dwelling upon it, by drinking it in, that we are to become partakers of His nature. What food is to the body, Christ must be to the soul. Food cannot benefit us unless we eat it, unless it becomes a part of our being. So Christ is of no value to us if we do not know Him as a personal Saviour. A theoretical knowledge will do us no good. We must feed upon Him, receive Him in to the heart, so that His life becomes our life. His love, His grace, must be assimilated."
I am a very privileged...blessed, if you will... middle-aged white Canadian woman, and I struggle daily with the temptation just to sink into my comfortable life and to have a sort of fake discipleship experience.... you know (or maybe you don't), go to church, go to prayer meeting, fuss over the kids in the class I teach at church, do a little daily ritual around prayer and devotion, come on My Church and share, but, basically, NOT STEP TOO FAR OUTSIDE MY COMFORT ZONE. Sure, I will make sandwiches for our 'share a sandwich ministry', help out with the Vegetarian Cooking School, act as the Church Clerk, and do numerous other acts, but just how involved is my heart? Sometimes I feel like this is my little oasis after a long-ish life of stress and discomfort, but I know that is just an excuse not to really be the disciple that I am called to be. Out of the corner of my eye I catch sight of our Lord, extending His flesh and His blood for me to receive. He is beckoning me-- and you too-- to join him in the experience of discipleship. |
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