Grow & Go - March 2024
The Joy in Discipleship
There are times when many of us struggle with having joy in this life. Yes, even Bible-believing, fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. I have gone through seasons that seemed as if I were just spinning my wheels, where the busyness of life was so overwhelming that an end was not in sight. Times when I had to stop and ask myself, what sort of kingdom impact am I making by doing this or that? There have even been situations when the brokenness of others around me seemed to drag the energy from my body or wear me out. Or seasons where my aging body informs me that I am not getting any younger. It is during times of joylessness I remind myself that the power of Christ is
magnified most during times of my weakness (2 Cor 12:9). More importantly when the realization sets in that my joy is waning, a redirect typically needs to occur from self to the Savior. When this redirect occurs, it typically is emphasized in the Word by the Holy Spirit, our helper, that I need to die to self (Lk 9:23), and that my real joy is found in discipling others. It is during our greatest of lows, that our need to cling to Christ becomes most evident.
When I say there is joy in discipleship, there is an unspeakable joy that should flow out of love – love for Christ, and what He has done on our behalf by dying on the cross. If not careful, we can forget what we were like before Jesus transformed us. We can forget the joy we first had when we were born again and if not staying in the Word, that love can diminish. If not mindful of our sinfulness, and the unmerited grace we received, we can see the work done in the name of Christ as burdensome. What helps me to remain focused and thwart this, is the giving away of myself to others in discipleship. What pushes me towards discipling another, is that I have experienced for myself the goodness of our Savior and Lord. Keeping our eyes perfectly affixed to our Savior helps us, helps me, to deny self and “count others more significant” (Phil 2:3)
It is very encouraging for me to see another Christian finding delight in the Word of God (Ps 119:16) and resting in the finished work of Christ (Jn 19:30). Let me encourage you to take what you know about Christ and His Word and invest that in another believer. If you have found yourself in a place where there is little joy or usefulness, there is a joy to be found in making disciples. In no way is discipleship easy, but considering what Christ paid that we may have life, there is a cost that we must count. The cost for us on this side of Heaven once we have been transformed by the gospel, is that we are to be making disciples (Matt 28:20). I think David Mathis best captures the essence of the joy in discipleship when he said, “Disciple-making is indeed costly – and designed by God, when healthy, to be a great joy-producing enterprise. It is not easy, but hard work. Yet it is deeply rewarding, with joys we do not otherwise taste apart from God’s work in and through us in ‘sharing our own selves’ (1 Thess 2:8) with others.” Therefore, yes
discipleship is a mandate, it will cost us something, it is not easy nor should it be burdensome, and there can be great joy found in discipleship as we count the cost of following Christ.
1. David Mathis. https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-cost-of-disciple-making, 2017.
