When I was a kid, I remember wanting to be like such and such soccer player or dribbling like that basketball player, hitting the game winning run like that famous baseball player… Life was good and I, along with the rest of the neighborhood kids would imagine ourselves in big games with thousands of fans cheering for us while we saved that specific sports universe we were playing in. It was fun and it brought discipline to what we were doing in every sport we played.
As I got older, I didn’t want to be like this athlete or that athlete. I wanted to make my own game. I started realizing that I would watch the best athletes competing in their sport and learn their movements. But when I played, I wasn’t playing exactly like specific people. I was taking what I had seen and watched on TV and making it my own.
- Sadly, I find that a large number of people who have been Christians a long time, still have the ‘neighborhood kid playing’ mentality.
What is the ‘neighborhood kid playing‘ mentality? It is when a Christian who has been a Christian longer than others in the church, is still quoting pastors he listens to, book commentaries he or she reads, or quotes from social media constantly; and yet, this same person never quotes directly from scripture.
DISCLAIMER ***** Don’t get me wrong, I still quote all the above but it is not where I end. I usually say, “This pastor wrote this about this, this other pastor wrote this about this subject, here’s what the Word of God says and what I got from it, for application.” **********
- So it’s not that I don’t ever quote anyone, it’s that I have found out, the Bible is all I need.
The Word of God is and was from the beginning. Jesus is the Word(See John 1) He has spoken His Word into our lives and into His Word, the Bible which makes one wise, disciplines by showing us our true nature and then instructing us to grab on to Christ and not let go(see Hebrews 4:12-13).
How do we become people who can be discipled and disciple others? We must be teachable, learners of the word(See Proverbs 12:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:16-17) ,and be able to pass it on.
Jesus tells us to do one thing. To go into all nations, and make disciples of all nations. We are to be teachable and then go out and teach others(See Matthew 28:19).
- Now here is where I do become that neighborhood kid playing, when I start imitating Jesus and Jesus alone.
- May I be able to be Christlike always.
- May I be able to quote scripture just like Jesus did when being tempted by the enemy(See Matthew chapter 4).
- May I be able to withstand everything that comes against me like Jesus did, because I was able to quote His Word, which gives me strength(See Philippians 4:13)…
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