during the school year i wrote a devo for a pretty awesome website that you all should check out once school rolls back around (http://www.theimperishableseed.com/). it was based off of proverbs 15:32 which says: He ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding. when studying this passage i had a fairly big realization that the words discipline and disciple are very similar and have the same root (i hope my english terms are correct @futurewife & @hannahbrown). and the main thing that i took away from this was the importance of the discipline that true discipleship takes, but i think i missed a major part of this.
the discipline that it takes to be truly discipled doesn't just take place in a discipleship/mentoring relationship but we must have the discipline to be discipled and challenged by God through His Word and in the other areas of our lives first. God's Word is the source, and i don't think i've ever really received all the benefits of being discipled because i've never truly and consistantly allowed God's Word to disciple me first. i think once i can start to discipline myself to root myself in God's Word, then the true discipleship will take place.
"now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living and enduring word of God. For, 'All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.' And this is the word that was preached to you." - 1 Peter 1:22-25
this also means trying to become more disciplined in other areas of my life, like the whole diet and exercise area. i officially started getting in shape for my wedding this morning. the goal is to lose 20 lbs by about the middle of september and then keep it off until the wedding. i had my last official pig out this weekend by going down to phoenix and hanging out with some awesome friends, and then when i got back to las vegas i pigged out at smashburger (soooo good, but definitely not good for you). then i got some sleep, woke up early this morning and ran a mile and did some situps and pushups and spent some time in the Word with God. i realized how out of shape i was today, both physically and spiritually, but i feel like good things are on the horizon.
oh, and life is going great. i got to go to PHX this weekend and hang with good friends Blake and Jenny Sab, Jakey Jakey make no mistakey Carlson, Daniel O-Face Offield, future friend Jackie-Jack Mitchell and my old friend Dirty Dustin Hunt. Also got to see an old mentor in ministry in Cody and am really excited for all of the things God is using my friends and mentors for in the lives of students in PHX. i have 3 more weeks here in Vegas, weird. a little over one week from now and my parents will be here to visit for a few days, and then after that Candice is coming to see where i've been this summer and what i've been doing! then we will pack up all my stuff and make the long journey on the yellow brick road back to kansas. i'm excited to get back home, but sad to leave the ministry going on here at Canyon Ridge.
God is on the move people, i'm excited to be along for the ride.
4 comments:
i really like your insight on relying on God's discipleship. i don't think i've ever actually thought of it that way, but it really makes sense. in the way that a dad disciples a son, God wants to disciple us.
Your so wise! Thanks for sharing with others!
In the same way that it is so easy and tempting to turn to watered down, man-influenced/biased books and sermons as our only interaction with the Word of God instead of seeking first the Bible, it can be tempting to take our discipleship and mentoring first from those we consider to be worthy of such disciple-ing. It sounds like God is doing some serious work and ministry on you and through you right now, pal, thanks for the transparency and for sharing, and thanks for the challenge to get "in shape" in more ways than one! Cya soon!
i read some of these comments...and felt convicted to write something profound.
instead i'm just going to say that you have hilarious, and ridiculous nicknames for everyone.
what's mine?
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