Day 197 - The Paradox of Discipleship

📖Daily Reading

Matthew 17-18 

🎥 Video  

Join me on my morning walk as we rise and shine together by walking through the Bible daily and learn a practical applicable coaching nugget from the ultimate life coach - our creator (whatever that means to you). No judgement zone here, all are welcome, we are all on a spiritual journey because we are after all spiritual beings having a human experience.

 

📝 Reflection 

  Matthew 18: 2-6

Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

 

Chapter 18 starts off with the disciples asking Jesus who would be the greatest in heaven and the above passage is his response. I love how Jesus taught (disciplined) without calling them out directly and using shame etc. He gently but powerfully gave them an example and a warning. He is teaching them how to be teachers, leaders and also how to be students simultaneously. This is actually what the word disciple means: one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrine of another, to be a student or a convinced adherent of a school or individual. The origin of the word going back to Latin is ‘pupil or learner’. 

So we are called to simultaneously to be humble, open, curious, obedient aka childlike but also to be very aware that we are teaching by our very ‘beingness’ and that we are not to cause others to stumble. This is a pretty tall order. But if you have ever been lead by a humble leader or teacher you understand the power. I respect these leaders way more that those that seem to have it all together. In our humanness we are very tempted to lead from a position of strength and having it together and all figured out. I don’t know about you, but there is something about this I just don’t trust. This exudes arrogance vs confidence. One who is overly self confident has a ‘ick’ factor, you have to look no further than American politics, the corporate board room, the church and the sports world  to see examples of this. 

In Jesus’s days they had the same examples in the Pharisees, the religious teachers of the law and people in authority.  We have been dealing with this for as long as humans have existed. This is the temptation that we all have as a consequence of having free will, self awareness and thinking consciously. Jesus even acknowledges the inevitability of temptation, but we are each personally responsible for our actions and the need to be aware that our actions affect others. So while we will inevitability stumble, we need to remain humble, using our stumbling in humility to teach and disciple others. We need to be humble stumblers, he doesn’t ask us for perfection because that is impossible. We have already learned from the Old Testament that striving for perfection takes our eyes off of God and sends our hearts down the wrong path towards the ‘self’. Stay focused on God, abide in his word, guard your heart from being divided and your posture can’t help but be one of humility and childlike wonder and devotion. 

This principle of understanding the paradox of discipleship can help you in all areas of your life. It can help you be a better spouse, parent, worker, leader, student, friend, sibling, child and teacher. The truth is because of how humans were designed, we are teacher and students always simultaneously, influencers and being influenced whether we want to be or not. What messages and teachings are you sending out by your life and behavior?  Our lives ripple out and affect each other in the present and way into the future for good or for not so good. Some don’t care or never even stop to think about this, much less live according to this and consciously trying to take this assignment seriously and allowing it to humble them accordingly. If seeing this and thinking this way doesn’t humble you….🤔

✍🏼Daily Journal Prompt 

 How about you? Do you understand how you are always teaching and leading even if you don't have that formal label? Do you try to keep an image of 'togetherness' in front of others? Are you humble?

📖Tomorrows Reading

 Matthew 19

Coaching Opportunity

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