Have you ever been excited about a goal or a task, but found it hard to persist with it overtime?

Maybe it was at the start of the year when you decided to take up a new course of study. While you had previously been excited, it was now exam season and the thought of all of the content you have to learn was making you panic. Or maybe there was a new exercise regime that you committed to but now were dreading the idea of waking up early to work out each morning.

Whatever your situation may look like, you probably asked yourself ‘Why am I doing this? Is it even worth it?’

How did you respond? What did you do? Did you decide to push on through or did you decide to give up?

Personally, I know that if I don’t have a reason for engaging in a certain behaviour, then I am less likely to stick to my goal or complete whatever the task might be.

One of my goals at the start of the year was to go for a run of at least 3km at a minimum of 5 times a week. While I had previously attempted this goal in the past, it didn’t result in becoming a long-term reality due to my prioritisation of other tasks. However, unlike my previous attempt, I was determined to stick to this new goal so it could become a normal part of my routine each morning. This time, instead of just committing to the goal because I thought it sounded like a nice idea, I came up with specific reasons of why I wanted to run each morning.

In the same way that I have found this method to be useful in working towards my own personal goals, I have also found it to be helpful in both understanding and acting upon my role as a Jesus-like discipler in the world.

So, what exactly is our role as Christians in this world?

In Matthew 28:19-20 we read of the Great Commission where Jesus’ gives His final instructions to His disciples on earth. In these verses Jesus, instructs his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them and teaching them to obey all that He had taught them.

Did you notice how Jesus didn’t call us to go and make Christians of the world? No! He called us to go and make disciples who would then go on to multiply.

Our role in the world is to be disciplers for Jesus!

Let’s consider the reasoning behind this role and calling.

Jesus’ Command

The first reason we choose live out our calling is because Jesus instructed us to make disciples! Therefore, we live out our calling as disciplers of Jesus, out of obedience to Him.

Paul, one of the greatest disciplers of all time, reinforced this instruction in 2 Timothy 2:2 where he urged Timothy to entrust all that Paul had taught him to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

Selfless Lives

A second reason we choose to live out our calling is because it is a selfless act of worship to God.

In Romans 12:1, Paul instructed the Christians in Rome to offer their bodies as living sacrifices, stating that this was their true and proper worship. You see, as we live out our Jesus-calling when we care less about our own selfish desires and more about the desires of Jesus.

As we continue to do life closely with Jesus, our love and adoration for Him grows and we are able to experience all of the joy, victory and great reward that comes from following Him. Before we know it, we can’t help but want others to discover Jesus, develop in their relationship with Him and then go on to disciple others.

Crowns of Glory

A third reason we choose to live out our calling is because the heavenly reward that awaits us.

In Peter 5:4, Peter teaches us about the crown of glory that will be given to those who have followed Jesus’ example and have willingly shepherded the flock; those whom God has given them to care for.

Don’t get me wrong, the point of these crowns isn’t to honour and give glory to ourselves, but rather, they are crowns given to us so we can lay them at the feet of Jesus, as an ultimate act of adoration (Revelation 4:10-11).

Can you imagine laying these crowns at the feet of Jesus?

I want to do everything in my power to work as hard as I can for Jesus while I am on earth, not for my own glory, but so that I can rightly place each of those crowns at His feet.

There are so many reasons why a follower of Jesus would choose to wholeheartedly live out their callings as a Jesus-like discipler in this world.

I encourage you to think of how you’re currently living out your role in this world as a Jesus-like discipler.

Why don’t you spend some time writing out your ‘whys’ behind your decision to live your life for Jesus.

Remember, it is when we are aware of our convictions or reasoning behind why we do what we, that we can best live out our role even in the challenges of life.

Blessings,

By Eleisha Lewis