Tag Archive | disciple

Thankful for Friendship

Nov26

A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.
Proverbs 17:17 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/pro.17.17.NASB1995

A friend is a companion.

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.
And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/ecc.4.9-12.NASB1995

A friend is someone we rejoice with.

When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’
Luke 15:9 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.15.9.NASB1995

Friendship is a life long blessing when the Lord is the foundation for His glory.

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Colossians 3:12-17 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/col.3.12-17.NASB1995

🙏Thank You, God, for giving friendships to us who are of like minds and hearts

🙏And thank You, Jesus, for being a close, intimate perfect example of friendship and for the blessing of being Your friend.

🌹Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
John 15:13-15 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/jhn.15.13-15.NASB1995

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon
https://indasharonjesus.org

Sacrificial Surrender

Jul30

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
Matthew 16:24 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/mat.16.24.NASB1995

What did Jesus do on the cross?
He gave His life (surrendered, sacrificed) for you and me.

What does it mean to take up my cross and follow Jesus?
To deny (sacrifice) myself for His purpose and glory.
To surrender my way for God’s way.
To surrender my truth for God’s truth.
To surrender my life to God so He lives through me.

In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
John 14:20 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/jhn.14.20.NASB1995

🌹Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
John 14:6 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/jhn.14.6.NASB1995

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon
https://indasharonjesus.org

Blessed Are The Poor in Spirit

May27

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
Ephesians 1:13 NASB1995‬
https://bible.com/bible/100/eph.1.13.NASB1995

Believer, you are sealed in Jesus with the Holy Spirit of promise. Being a believer you are a disciple of Christ. Being a disciple of Christ comes with blessings.

‭‭He (Jesus) opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
“Blessed (fortunate or prosperous) are the poor in spirit (not spiritually arrogant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:2-3 NASB1995‬
https://bible.com/bible/100/mat.5.2-3.NASB1995

🌹Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
James 4:10 NASB1995‬
https://bible.com/bible/100/jas.4.10.NASB1995

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon
https://indasharonjesus.org

Following Jesus

Jul21

I am not following Jesus if I put myself before Him.

And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
Mark 8:34 NASB

He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:30 NASB

🌹“He who comes from above is above all, . . . He who comes from heaven is above all.
John 3:31 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Prophesy

May15

prophesy: to speak as a mediator between God and humankind or in God’s stead.

Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation.
1 Corinthians 14:1, 3 NASB

Pursue love so all that you do will be done in love. Earnestly desire the greater gift to prophesy because the one who prophesies enlightens and uplifts another. This one also advises, cautions, and encourages and also consoles, giving solace and comfort during grief or disappointment. And any unbeliever watching will be convicted.
1 Corinthians 16:14/1 Corinthians 12:31 NASB

By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:35 NASB

But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.
1 Corinthians 14:1‭, ‬3‭, ‬24‭-‬25 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

The Power of the Holy Spirit

Apr17

So Jesus said to them (disciples) again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”
John 20:21‭-‬23 NASB

Just as God the Father sent Jesus into the world, Jesus has sent us, His disciples, into the world.

As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
John 17:18 NASB

Receiving of the Holy Spirit is given to every believer at the time of conversion (the spiritual change in a person who repents of their sin and turns to Jesus and lives their life in obedience to God). The indwelling Holy Spirit is the power of God in us to continue the work that Christ began.
Jesus is the forgiver of sin but under the power of the Holy Spirit we can forgive or not forgive sin in the aspect that we can share the gospel and those who repent we can forgive them their sins by the power of the Holy Spirit. On the opposite side of that, those who choose to retain their sin, it will be retained.
See Matthew 16:19, 18:18

An example of this is when Jesus sent the 12 disciples out to share the gospel door to door:

Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet.
Matthew 10:14; Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5 NASB

🌹“The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”
Luke 10:16 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

3 John 1-4

Oct21

The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. I have no greater joy than this (these things, that I hear), to hear of my children walking in the truth.
3 John 1‭-‬4 NASB

Discipling…

Lord God, what a joy and privilege You have given Your children who walk in truth to love one another. Not to love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. Lord may I walk in truth, as You have commanded, in such a way that I demonstrate walking in truth to those I am discipling. I pray that I can teach new disciples to remind others of the way of Christ. God, I pray I will persevere in my labor until Jesus Christ is formed in those I have the privilege to disciple. Lord may I exhort, encourage, and implore these disciples as if they are my own children, that they would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls us into His own kingdom and glory. And God, my hope is to find these I disciple walking in truth, just as I have received commandment to do from You, Father. Use me Lord Jesus to bring glory to Your name. Amen.
1 John 3:18/2 John 4/1 Corinthians 4:14‭,16-17/Galatians 4:19/1 Thessalonians 2:11‭-‬12/2 John 4 NASB

The reason we disciple:
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
1 John 2:1‭-‬2 NASB

🌹For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power.
1 Corinthians 4:20 NASB

I pray in all respects that you prosper and are in good health, just as your soul prospers. In Jesus name, amen.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

1 John 2:7-8

Aug17

Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.
1 John 2:7‭-‬8 NASB

God, Your commandment of old to love one another has been a difficult task as evidenced in Your word. Division, war, deceit have separated Your people from one another and from You. The commandment to love one another diminished to the point of needing renewal mant times.
Now a new commandment has been given to love one another. A love demonstrated my Your Son, Jesus Christ. He was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. We all, Lord God, were formerly darkness, but now we, Your children, are Light in Jesus; because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining!! God, I pray we walk as children of Light so the world will know we are Your disciples because of our love for one another. As we love one another by the love of Christ in us Jesus grows brighter and brighter and the darkness passes away. Help me to love as You love, Jesus, so Your Light shines to a dark and needy world. May Your love abound in me I pray, amen.
John 13:34‭/John 1:9/Ephesians 5:8/John 13:35 NASB

🌹“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you”.
John 15:12 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon 

Is My Lamp Still Lit?

Apr19

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
John 8:12 NASB

Do you have have the Light of Life, Jesus Christ?

Jesus, I no longer want to walk in darkness, I surrender my life to follow You, the Light of my life. Amen.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14‭-‬16 NASB


Jesus, You have made Your own a light in  this world. Let my life shine in this world in such a way that others may see the true Light and glorify the Father in heaven. For Your glory I ask, amen.

“Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.
Luke 8:16 NASB

Lord God, may I shine the light of salvation to everyone I come in contact with. When my light flickers from fear, embolden me Lord that I may shine even brighter with the light of the gospel so others may know the true Light, Jesus Christ. For Your glory, amen!!

🌹My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
John 15:8 NASB

Continually Seeking Him, 

Sharon 

Jesus Always Took Time

Jan10

When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done. Taking them with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city called Bethsaida. But the crowds were aware of this and followed Him; and welcoming them, He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing.
Luke 9:10‭-‬11 NASB

Jesus always finds time for people. Taking His disciples He sought to withdraw with them.  .  . BUT “the crowds… followed Him”. Did you notice Jesus’s response? He welcomed them and then took the opportunity to tell them about the kingdom of God.

How often do we want to get away? Away from the neighbor who wants to chit chat when you have so much to do, if you ever make it through the front door. Or the hairdresser who talks with her hands so this quick haircut turns out to be longer than you planned. We are always on the run. Go, go, go.

🌹How many missed opportunities have we passed by, ignored, set aside, to share the gospel? To speak of the kingdom of God?

Continually Seeking Him, 


Sharon