Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
Perhaps today there is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who is in the deep valley this psalm speaks of. Death is casting a shadow over your life. Be assured God’s presence will never leave thee nor forsake thee. What great comfort to know He is right beside you and will be with you all the way. Is there someone in the same situation who has not trusted the Saviour? How sad if you pass through death without God’s presence, only to meet Him as your judge. —Jim Paul
I am walking in the valley while I wait upon Your call; For I know that You are anxious to welcome me in heaven’s hall. —Morrow
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Galatians 6:14
What an amazing “about-turn” took place in Paul’s life! By parentage, upbringing, natural abilities and education, he had much of which he might boast. Prior to his conversion, his opposition to Christ and Christians was unequalled. What brought about the change? It was God’s revelation to him of the absolute uniqueness of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the eternal significance of His death and resurrection. Christ and His cross had eclipsed all! Every other glory fades and dies at Calvary! —George Hall
In the cross, in the cross be my glory ever; Till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river. —Fanny J. Crosby
I will go in the strength of the Lord… Psalm 71:16
Five times David speaks of God’s strength in this psalm: its basis (v. 3); its testimony (v. 7); its faithfulness (v. 9); its ministry (v. 16) and its aim (v. 18). In and of ourselves, we are weak. It is God alone who enables us to get up, go out, and keep on. We must never forget that all power and strength comes from God, not ourselves. We are weak, but He is strong. —N. C. Funston
I am weak but Thou art strong; Jesus, keep me from all wrong; I’ll be satisfied as long As I walk, let me walk close to Thee. —Author Unknown
How lopsided and unbalanced we can be at times! We can see the right that others should do, but can’t apply the same rules to ourselves or our families! Often the wrong that others are doing is not as bad as what we are doing ourselves. They have a mote (a speck) in their eye, while we have a beam (or a board) in ours! Our Lord tells us to be careful in condemning others lest we should be judged by the same rules. But how wonderful it is that our Lord paid all of our debts for us! —G. Frear
Don’t judge others lest you should fall too, Watch all that you say and all that you do; We all have failings and careful should be, Much we need His mercy and His grace so free! —G. F.
And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s…And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Luke 5:3
The Lord reached out to Simon Peter in a unique way. He stepped into his boat. It changed his life forever. Simon listened as the Lord taught the people. After His message, Jesus told Simon to launch out into the deep for a catch. Simon was soon in over his head. Caught; convicted; Simon confessed, “I am a sinful man, O Lord” (5:8). Jesus reassured him, “Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men” (5:10). Has the Lord stepped into your boat? Don’t be afraid. Just follow! —Rex Trogdon
I will make you fishers of men, fishers of men, fishers of men; I will make you fishers of men, if you follow Me. —Harry D. Clarke
True Discipleship, a much loved and much read book over the years, has a brand new look. We are excited to let you know that we have the new book in stock and are all set to ship out well in time for the holiday season. Recently, the question was posed on Facebook, “What single book besides the Bible has impacted your life the most?” True Discipleship was one of the top books mentioned.
Below is Chapter 1 for you not only to enjoy, but to be challenged by as well.
1. TERMS OF DISCIPLESHIP
True Christianity is an all-out commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Saviour is not looking for men and women who will give their spare evenings to Him—or their weekends—or their years of retirement. Rather He seeks those who will give Him first place in their lives.
He looks today, as He has ever looked, not for crowds drifting aimlessly in His track, but for individual men and women whose undying allegiance will spring from their having recognized that He wants those who are prepared to follow the path of self-renunciation which He trod before them.¹
Nothing less than unconditional surrender could ever be a fitting response to His sacrifice at Calvary. Love so amazing, so divine, could never be satisfied with less than our souls, our lives, our all.
The Lord Jesus made stringent demands on those who would be His disciples—demands that are all but over-looked in this day of luxurious living. Too often we look on Christianity as an escape from Hell and a guarantee of Heaven. Beyond that, we feel that we have every right to enjoy the best that this life has to offer. We know that there are those strong verses on discipleship in the Bible, but we have difficulty reconciling them with our ideas of what Christianity should be.
We can accept the fact that soldiers give their lives for patriotic reasons. We do not think it strange that Communists or Muslims give their lives for political or religious reasons. But that “blood, sweat, and tears” should characterize the life of a follower of Christ somehow seems remote and hard to grasp.
And yet the words of the Lord Jesus are clear enough. There is scarcely any room for misunderstanding if we accept them at their face value. Here are the terms of discipleship as laid down by the Saviour of the world:
A SUPREME LOVE FOR JESUS CHRIST “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). This does not mean that we should ever have animosity or ill-will in our hearts toward our relatives, but it does mean that our love to Christ should be so great that all other loves are hatred by comparison. Actually, the most difficult clause in this passage is the expression, “yea, and his own life also.” Self-love is one of the most stubborn hindrances to discipleship. Not until we are willing to lay down our very lives for Him are we in the place where He wants us.
DENIAL OF SELF
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross…” (Matt. 16:24). Denial of self is not the same as self-denial. The latter means foregoing certain foods, pleasures, or possessions. But denial of self means such complete submission to the lordship of Christ that self has no rights or authority at all. It means that self abdicates the throne. It is expressed in the words of Henry Martyn, “Lord, let me have no will of my own, or consider my true happiness as depending in the smallest degree on anything that can befall me outwardly, but as consisting altogether in conformity to Thy will.”
My glorious Victor, Prince divine,
Clasp these surrendered hands in Thine;
At length my will is all Thine own,
Glad vassals of a Saviour’s throne.
—H. G. C. Moule
A DELIBERATE CHOOSING OF THE CROSS
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross…” (Matt. 16:24). The cross is not some physical infirmity or mental anguish; these things are common to all men. The cross is a pathway that is deliberately chosen. It is, as C. A. Coates put it, “a path which so far as this world goes is one of dishonor and reproach.” The cross symbolizes the shame, persecution, and abuse which the world heaped on the Son of God, and which the world will heap on all who choose to stand against the tide. Any believer can avoid the cross simply by being conformed to the world and its ways.
A LIFE SPENT IN FOLLOWING CHRIST
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). To understand what this means, one need simply ask himself, “What characterized the life of the Lord Jesus?” It was a life of obedience to the will of God. It was a life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. It was a life of unselfish service for others. It was a life of patience and longsuffering in the face of the gravest wrongs. It was a life of zeal, of expenditure, of self-control, of meekness, of kindness, of faithfulness and of devotion (Gal. 5:22-23). In order to be His disciples, we must walk as He walked. We must exhibit the fruit of Christlikeness (John 15:8).
A FERVENT LOVE FOR ALL WHO BELONG TO CHRIST
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). This is the love that esteems others better than oneself. It is the love that covers a multitude of sins. It is the love that suffers long and is kind. It does not parade itself, is not puffed up. It does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Cor. 13:4-7). Without this love, discipleship would be a cold, legalistic asceticism.
AN UNSWERVING CONTINUANCE IN HIS WORD
“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8:31). For real discipleship there must be continuance. It is easy enough to start well, to burst forth in a blaze of glory. But the test of reality is endurance to the end. Any man who looks back after putting his hand to the plow is not fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). Spasmodic obedience to the Scriptures will not do. Christ wants those who will follow Him in constant, unquestioning obedience.
Keep me from turning back.
The handles of my plow with tears are wet,
The shears with rust are spoiled, and yet, and yet,
My God! My God! Keep me from turning back.
—Author Unknown
A FORSAKING OF ALL TO FOLLOW HIM
“So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). This is perhaps the most unpopular of all Christ’s terms of discipleship, and may well prove to be the most unpopular verse in the Bible. Clever theologians can give you a thousand reasons why it does not mean what it says, but simple disciples drink it down eagerly, assuming that the Lord Jesus knew what He was saying. What is meant by forsaking all? It means an abandonment of all one’s material possessions that are not absolutely essential and that could be used in the spread of the gospel. The man who forsakes all does not become a shiftless loafer; he works hard to provide for the current necessities of his family and himself. But since the passion of his life is to advance the cause of Christ, he invests everything above current needs in the work of the Lord and leaves the future with God. In seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, he believes that he will never lack food and clothing. He cannot conscientiously hold on to surplus funds when souls are perishing for want of the gospel. He does not want to waste his life accumulating riches that will fall into the devil’s hands when Christ returns for His saints. He wants to obey the Lord’s injunction against laying up treasure on earth. In forsaking all, he says with David Livingstone, “It’s a pity I don’t have more to give.”
These then are the seven terms of Christian discipleship. They are clear and unequivocal. The writer realizes that in the act of setting them forth, he has condemned himself as an unprofitable servant. But shall the truth of God be forever suppressed because of the failure of God’s people? Is it not true that the message is always greater than the messenger? Is it not proper that God be true and every man a liar? Should we not say with an old worthy, “Thy will be done though in my own undoing”?
Confessing our past failure, let us courageously face up to the claims of Christ upon us and seek from this moment on to be true disciples of our glorious Lord.
My Master, lead me to Thy door:
Pierce this now willing ear once more.
Thy bonds are freedom; let me stay
With Thee to toil, endure, obey.
—H. G. C. Moule
¹H. A. Evan Hopkins, Henceforth, Chicago: IVF, 1954, p. 20.
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith… Ephesians 3:17
The basic need of people is to be right with God, to be forgiven of their sins. This happens when we repent of our sins and open our hearts to the Lord Jesus. God comes into one’s life and we are born again. Paul is then concerned that Christ by the Holy Spirit may dwell, have permanent residence, in our hearts by faith. This means that there is a commitment and loyalty to Christ. It also indicates that there is daily fellowship with the Lord. If Christ is dwelling in one’s heart there will also be a desire to please Him and not to grieve Him by sin. This will bring you joy and peace. —Donald L. Norbie
Abide with me from morn til eve, for without Thee I cannot live. Abide with me when night is nigh, for without Thee I dare not die. —John Keble
For thus saith the Lord God…in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength. Isaiah 30:15
Paul’s exhortation, “study to be quiet” (1 Thess. 4:11) is expanded by a writer who said, “Quietness is the classroom where you learn to hear God’s voice.” When too much to do overwhelms us, it is time to evaluate “the tyranny of the urgent” and respond to only the “important” need. After a busy time of ministry Jesus wisely invited His disciples to a desert place to rest awhile. In quietness of spirit we’ll be guided to the activities we’re to pursue or eliminate. Our purpose is to honour the Lord in what we do. —E. Dyck
Father lead me day by day, ever in Thy loving way. May my life be pure and true, show me what I ought to do. —John Page Hopps
Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word: But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord. Psalm 106:24-25
Instead of enjoying the blessings of God, Israel despised His goodness and disregarded His word. Privately they complained, thinking perhaps they were out of range of others. But the One who hears our cry when we are in distress is also the One who hears our voice of discontent. Remember, when we complain, the problem may be with us and not with others or our circumstances. Choose today to glorify the Lord with your words, both publicly—and in private.
—Mark Kolchin
Whate’er my fears or foes suggest, Thou art my hope, my joy, my rest; My heart shall feel Thy love, and raise my cheerful voice to songs of praise. —Issac Watts
Every Sunday we have an opportunity to answer that question in the Lord’s Supper. What a shame to waste it by not coming prepared. In song, through Scripture reading and in worshipful prayer, tell the Lord what you think of Him! Part of preparation is spending time every day in personal devotion to the Lord. Another key is not to allow any activity on Saturday to tire us, take our minds off Christ and dull our worship on Sunday. The more we think of Christ, the less we think of ourselves. John the Baptist said, “He must increase, and I must decrease” (John 3:30). So it is with each of us. —Carl Knott
Was e’er a gift like the Saviour given? No, not one! No, not one! Did ever saint find this Friend forsake him? No, not one! No, not one! —Johnson Oatman Jr.
