“Follow the Lord as his faithful apprentice.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – November 30, 2024
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7, ESV
In The Great Omission, which will surely come to be known as a modern-day classic, Dallas Willard offers this profound insight into our contemporary situation as followers of Jesus Christ. “The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as ‘Christians’ will become disciples – students, apprentices, practitioners – of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence.” Many of us may identify as Christian, yet to be a Christian in the true sense of the word is to be a “little Christ,” to love what he loves and do as he did. This is the invitation before every single one of us who longs to truly live a life of wisdom.
One of Willard’s favorite ways to frame discipleship was the concept of apprenticeship. To be a disciple is to be an “apprentice of Jesus.” This requires knowledge about the Christian faith, of course, and it is always good to immerse ourselves in the study of Scripture and the history of the Church. Yet as Paul points out in Colossians 2, we “walk in him…as we were taught.” Like a young apprentice who spends his or her days in the woodworking shop or plumbing a new house, carefully listening to and observing the skills and habits of their “master,” we as Christians must apprentice ourselves to Jesus Christ, learning from him how to live lives of sacrificial love and Spirit-filled compassion amid a chaotic and confusing world.
Of course, this highlights the difficulty associated with trying to follow Jesus in isolation. Ultimately, we are apprentices of Jesus Christ himself, yet by design, our Lord has given us the gift of his people, and we are invited to apprentice under the Lord by learning from wise men and women within the community of faith who can gently lead us by example into the way of mature discipleship. This is the pattern of faithful Christian living that has been the norm for countless centuries. Let us step fully into these life-giving waters and learn from others as we together seek to follow the Lord as his faithful apprentices.
Prayer
Father, keep us from being “Christian” in name only, but lead us and teach us that we may truly live as apprentices of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Application
What does it look like in your current season of life to step more fully into your identity as an apprentice of Jesus?
Related Reading
1 Corinthians 15:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:14-15; 2 Thessalonians 2:15
Worship Resource
Housefires feat. Pat Barrett: God Is So Good
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