Jesus Speaking

Mark 4:10-11

“Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant. He replied, ‘You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders” (NLT)

We are all called to be disciples of Christ, but for most of us only act the act. In other words, many of us are followers of Christ and not disciples. Followers of Christ follow for what they can gain, while disciples of Christ imitate for what they can lose for Christ’s sake. So are you a follower or a disciple?

I have always wondered what it would be like to live back in the day that Jesus walked on earth. I have wondered what He would look like, what the experiencing miracles is like and, most importantly, what His teachings were like. I would pursue Jesus wherever He went, but how much would I be willing to give up? Would I be willing to give up my job, my plans for my life, my independence and my world for Christ?

In this passage Jesus shares “the secret of the Kingdom of God” to “the twelve disciples and… the others who gathered around”. Regardless of how “devote” we are and regardless of our reasoning for pursuing Christ, we all should desire to be with Him and learn from Him. Through Him teaching us, He can reveal to us what living a life for Him looks like. In this day and age Jesus isn’t walking on the earth anymore, but through His Word He can speak to us.

I am going to work on becoming a disciple of Christ by reading in His word with a different viewpoint; one that is of a listener of His teaching and one that believes that His teachings are for me personally.