The Useful Disciple

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The Useful Disciple

by Eddie Turner

As Christians, we are hated because of who God is. As bold as this statement sounds, it should come as no surprise. After all, Jesus assured us that we would be. He also told us that this is a good thing.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven…” (Matthew 5:11-12).

More and more often, however, God is hated because of who we are. This happens when we associate Him with things He’s not associated with—things like politics. Instead of being seen as mere Christians, we’re left-wing or rightwing Christians who hate each other and slander our country’s leaders. Instead of distancing ourselves from these labels, we defend them, often heatedly. And, the more insistent we become in retaining our association with worldly matters, the less we meet what may be the most important expectation God has for His children.

“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21).

As followers of Jesus, we are bearers of the gospel. This role belongs to each one of us, and there are countless ways for us to perform it. Some of us are writers, some pastors, and many of us are called to simply share it among the people within our family or social circles. Accomplishing God’s will, however, is dependent upon how useful we are to Him. A person who is known for his or her foul mouth, for example, may not be useful at all due to their greater potential to dishonor God than glorify Him. Everything we do, say, and fill our minds with can impact our usefulness as disciples.

If you’ve ever tried to blaze your own trail through the woods, you likely found your clothes covered in twigs, thorns, and dirt. You may have even come out with a few bloody scratches on your arms or legs. If a friend or a neighbor saw you after your trek in the forest, they could easily point out what you had been doing. In the same way, our association with questionable behavior and worldly matters affects how others see us. Depending on our life

choices, we can either be seen as having no blemishes or covered in the filth that we often detect on those who make little effort to safeguard their character.

While you and I can’t separate ourselves from the physical world, we can certainly become separate from its cultures of sexuality, hostile politics, gossip, and hate speech. In the verse I’ll leave you with, Scripture affirms what this world has become and stresses the importance that we take great strides toward becoming drastically different than those around us who blend in. There should be nothing we aren’t willing to let go of in order to be useful and pleasing to God.

“—prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation…” (Philippians 2:15).

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