Reflection
The goal of Jesus’ life was to bring about the reign of God. This would be a world in which people were united in God’s love, compassion, justice and peace. It was a vision of wholeness and an integral part of it was each person’s individual conversion. Personally, he lived it; he preached it, and he died for it. Have we lost this vision in the condition that now is? How can we renew our own commitment to this vision which we claim to embrace as his followers?
Prayer
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth.
Action
How would my life be different if I tried to live out Jesus’ vision of God’s reign?
To what does this call me?
Suggested Reading
Then he said, What is the kingdom of God like? And t what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it And again he said, To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened
Luke 13: 18 -21
To believe in Jesus means to follow Him. At the same time, it means avoiding the opposite way, that of selfishness, of seeking one’s own interest.
Pope Francis
If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God first, it will in the end make no difference what you have chosen instead.
William Law
Those who aren’t following Jesus aren’t his followers. It’s that simple. Followers follow, and those who don’t follow aren’t followers. To follow Jesus means to follow Jesus into a society where justice rules, where love shapes everything. To follow Jesus means to take up his dream and work for it.
Scot McKnight
Those who teach by their doctrine must teach by their life, or else they pull down with one hand what they build up with the other.
Matthew Henry
A holy life has a voice. It speaks when the tongue is silent, and is either a constant attraction or a perpetual reproof.
Hinton
Whatever God’s dream about man may be, it seems certain it cannot come true unless man cooperates.
Stella Terrill Mann
Discipleship isn’t a program or an event; it’s a way of life. It’s not for a limited time, but for our whole life. Discipleship isn’t for beginners alone; it’s for all believers for every day of their life. Discipleship isn’t just one of the things the church does; it is what the church does.
Bill Hull We reduce discipleship to a canned program, and so many in the church end up sidelined in a spectator mentality that delegates disciple making to pastors and professionals, ministers and missionaries.
Francis Chan