Jesus is the model for us of what a disciplined life should be. How can we consider Jesus so that we get a better understanding of what to expect from a life of Christian discipline? Today’s excerpt from The Disciplined Life is found on pages 16 and 17:
“In order to follow Jesus like this, to discipline our bodies to do the kinds of good works He did, it will help if we can identify just a few roles and repertoires of discipleship which reflect the way Jesus lived, and which can provide us with more concrete objectives for our daily ‘agonizing’ in the work of disciplining our bodies.
“We can identify five roles that Jesus consistently fulfilled during His earthly sojourn.
“Jesus came in the role of a seeker: He sought the Lord, He sought always to do God’s will, and He sought the lost and those He called as disciples. He was intentional toward others and didn’t wait around for people to seek Him out, although, of course, many people did.
“Second, Jesus came in the role of a servant. He reminded His disciples of this on several occasions and modeled that role dramatically when He washed their feet. Jesus understood that bringing the Kingdom of God near to people was best accomplished by caring for them at some point of need.
“In the third place, Jesus came as a shepherd, showing His disciples how to care for His flock so that it could be safe, well-fed, and strong. He was particularly concerned, in this role, to help people increase in the experience of eternal life, of knowing the Lord and His glory.
“He was obviously, as well, a sower of the Word of God wherever He went. Jesus walked in the Word, spoke and taught the Word, and diligently pursued the promises and obeyed the commands of the Word. Thus He sowed the Word by His life as much as by His words.
“And, finally, Jesus was a good steward of His time, abilities, and calling from the Lord. He did not waste the time allotted to Him each day but invested every moment with eternal significance.“Fulfilling these roles entails mastering a repertoire of disciplines.”
For reflection or discussion
1. In which of those five roles—seeker, servant, shepherd, sower, and steward—do you most need to improve?
2. How would you assess your discipleship in terms of all five of those roles?
Jesus shows us what a life disciplined toward God and by His Word can be. We do well to consider Him, as the writer of Hebrews says, in all these roles, so that, as we grow in Him we can better fulfill those roles as well. Share today’s podcast with some friends. Encourage your friends to listen to the podcast as well. Set up a time when you can get together to discuss the roles that Jesus fulfilled and what they mean for you. You can download a free copy of The Disciplined Life by going to The Ailbe Bookstore. Get yours, then share it with all your friends.
T. M. Moore
