True Disciples

Day fifty-eight

I know Sunday is called the day of rest, but that is not always the case for me.  I knew this Sunday would be particularly busy, so I prayed that I would have the energy to serve well, to have the Spirit with me as I interacted with others and taught, and to be spiritually filled for myself.  I love the Lord and hope that my words and actions show that.

Today I would like to share some things I learned while preparing and teaching the youth in Sunday school.  We were learning about the skills needed to be a true disciple of Christ.  We were in Matt 6 and 7.

Definition of disciple: A pupil or learner.  Denotes the 12 Apostles; all followers of Jesus Christ. (BD p657)

The term disciple is used 269 times in the New Testament.  (It must be important!)

Being a disciple means learning how to let go of our ordinary life in order to pursue the extraordinary life of imitating Christ.

Training to be a disciple:
-takes time everyday
-requires a serious attitude sometimes
-will cost you something in earthy terms, it may even cost you friends
-requires some basic or foundation skills, but after the basics, it is different for each person.

Skill #1 Pure Motives. Do the right things for the right reasons. 
Matt 6:1-6, 16-21
We determine what we treasure by the amount of time, money, and thought we devote to something.
I need to find ways to purify my motives.

Skill #2 Pray.  Follow the Savior's example of prayer.
Matt 6:7-13; 7:7-11
We are not born knowing how to pray.  The Lord's prayer teaches us about how we should pray, with love and respect.

Even though Heavenly Father knows what we need it is still important to ask, seek and knock.  We appreciate the things we have to work for more than those that are just handed to us.

Skill #3 Treat others kindly and fairly. The Golden Rule!  Forgiveness and judge not.
Matt 6:14-15; 7:1-6, 12
Quote:  "Forgiveness does not mean ignoring what has been done or putting a false label on an evil act.  It means, rather, that the evil act no longer remains as a barrier to the relationship."  ~Martin Luther King Jr.

Motives for forgiveness:  The knowledge that you've been forgiven yourself.

Not forgiving others sins, is like carrying around somebody else's sin, which doesn't do you any good.  It's like chewing on somebody's dirty sock.  What's the point?

Forgiveness is part of our salvation, it makes sense that we should have lots of chances to  improve our forgiving skills.

Judging others harms both us and those that we judge.

"The best and most clear indicator that we are progressing spiritually and coming unto Christ is the way we treat other people." ~Elder Marvin J. Ashton

Skill #4 Serve God, Trust Him, and do His will.
Matt 6:22-34; 7:13-29
We are to be dedicated enough to take no thought for our life.  Christ uses nature to express the "stop worrying" lesson.

Remember He requires you to let go of the things of this world only so you can take hold of something better!

I enjoyed teaching this lesson and learning from the youth.  I left class feeling like we had a stronger foundation, we had a better understanding of the skills necessary to be a true disciple, and we were more dedicated to improving those skills and becoming better disciples.  It is nice when everyone learns something, especially the teacher!