Dialed In Discipleship

Staying centered on Jesus in a world full of distractions

Years ago I heard the following: “Emotion is no substitute for action. Action is no substitute for obedience.”

Often what we offer God are our emotions. It’s easy to confuse our feelings with God’s approval. When we feel close to God we assume he is pleased with us. When we feel disconnected, we assume he is unhappy.

Or we may take actions to show God our devotion without considering whether those are things he wants us to do. A common theme in Scripture is man offering sacrifices to God that he has not requested.

In scenarios like these our faith is actually self-centered. It’s focused on how we feel or actions we consider to be good and worthwhile.

But is this true discipleship?

During the last supper, Jesus said to his disciples, “You call me Teacher and Lord... and you are right, for so I am.” ¹

Disciples are people who are learning to follow Jesus as their Teacher and Lord. We are people under authority. This means we must prioritize listening to Jesus as our Teacher so we can obey Jesus as our Lord.

True discipleship is Christ-centered. It’s living a life of devotion to Jesus. It’s the lifestyle that happens when we are daily offering our bodies as living sacrifices to God. ²

We must learn to center our lives on the Master, his Message, and his Mission.

Only then will we be dialed in as disciples in a world full of distractions.

1. John 13.13

2. Romans 12.1-2