My dear blogging friend Bryan Lowe posted some great quotes on discipleship the other day. My favorite was this one from Gilbert K. Chesterton: “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.” I have to admit that it hit home a bit because I have not yet attained the Christian ideal, and in part it is because it is difficult. Discipleship has a price; it is a price that is truly a bargain but a price nonetheless. But I refuse to quit trying, because I am “confident of this, that he who began a good work in [me] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (NIV).
The Disciples’ Prayer
Help me, dear Jesus,
to keep trying
to never stop following
no matter how difficult the road
Awaken me, O Lord,
as one to be taught
each morning, each day
that I may learn to follow You
Teach me, Holy Spirit,
the gravity of my need
the truth of Your grace
the magnitude of Your love
Blind me, O Lord,
to the obstacles in my way
that I may see only You and
confidently pursue Your ideal for me