Jesus walked into a tax collector's office and said: "Follow Me." He walked into a commercial fishing business and said: "Follow Me" (see Mt 4:19). The first thing, and almost the last thing, Jesus said to Peter was: "Follow Me" (Jn 21:19). Jesus is obviously preoccupied with calling us to follow Him, that is, to be His disciples and make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19).
"Jesus said to all: 'Whoever wishes to be My follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in My steps' " (Lk 9:23). To be Jesus' disciples, we must follow Him totally and immediately (Lk 9:57-62). Jesus said: "In the same way, none of you can be My disciple if he does not renounce all his possessions" (Lk 14:33). We must subordinate all relationships, people, possessions, and our very selves to our pre-eminent relationship with Jesus (Lk 14:26, 33).
Do you want to move from being merely a good person, a church-goer, or even a prayerful person to being a disciple of the Lord? If so, renew your Baptism and decide now by God's grace to deny your very self, take up your cross each day, and follow Jesus. Be a disciple and make disciples who disciple others.
| PRAYER: | Father, may I glorify You by bearing much fruit in discipleship (Jn 15:8). |
| PROMISE: | "God's word is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword. It penetrates and divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the reflections and thoughts of the heart." –Heb 4:12 |
| PRAISE: | Maria quietly and patiently continues to pray for her husband's conversion. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College