Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 263 – 1 Timothy 4:15-16 – Be Diligent – Growing As Disciples
Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. 1 Timothy 4:15-16 (NIV)
Make Progress
That is what I want to do. What do you want to do? I want to make progress as one of your followers. That is a very good desire. What kind of progress do you want to make? I want to grow in knowing and loving and following and serving you. I want to come to know you intimately. By that I mean personally, as well. For example, I have no desire to only know about you. Why is that? Seeking to only know about you seems like an inoculation against the real thing. What is the real thing? Knowing and loving and following and serving you is the real thing. It is the real deal. It is not fake. It is not phony. I don’t want to exchange only knowing about you for actually knowing you. There is a world of difference between the two. Yes, there is, you are quite right about that.
What do you hope to become as you come to know me? What do you desire to do as you come to know me? Those two questions get to the heart of the issue. Knowing you will cause me to love and follow and serve you. Knowing you will change my heart and transform my mind. Knowing you will help me to know and do your will. There is one burning desire that I have that is part of knowing you. What is that? I want to become like you. Only knowing you will make me able to think your thoughts, speak your words and do your deeds. I want to live a life that closely resembles yours. I want your light and life and love to flow in and through me. I want to be a bright and bold witness for you in the world. I want my life to point others to you. I want others to come to know and love and follow and serve you because they have seen your life being lived out in and through me. How is that for a bold desire and request? Could I ask for anything better? Could I want anything more? I don’t think so. What will this coming true in your life be called? I would call it progress, wouldn’t you? Yes, I would. I want my progress of knowing and loving and following and serving you to be evident and obvious to all so that a multitude are drawn to you through the witness of my life. That is my prayer. That is my hope. That is my desire. I will hear and answer this hope and desire and prayer of yours. Thank you, Lord.
Lord, I will be diligent. I will be disciplined. I will be serious. I will give myself wholly to growing and making spiritual progress as one of your followers. Help me to be vibrant. Help me to be fully alive. Use my life as a bright and bold witness for you in the word. Amen
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