Monday, February 13, 2006

Not a Side Project (Part I)

The Whole of my Daily existence Is the Focus of discipleship

That my actual life is the focus of my apprenticeship to Jesus is crucial. Knowing this can help deliver us from the genuine craziness that the current distinction between "full-time Christian service" and "part-time Christian service" imposes on us. For a disciple of Jesus in not necessarily one devoted to doing specifically religious things as that is usually understood. To repeat, I am learning from Jesus how to lead my life my whole life, my real life. Note, please, I am not learning from him how to lead his life. His life on earth was a transcendently wonderful one. But it has now been led. Neither I nor anyone else, even himself, well ever lead it again. And he is, in any case, interested in my life, that very existence that is me. There lies my need. I need to be able to lead my life as he would lead it if he were I.

So as his disciple I am not necessarily learning how to do special religious things, either as a part of "full-time service" or as a part of "part-time service." My discipleship to Jesus is, within clearly definable limits, not a matter of what I do, but of how I do it. And it covers everything "religious" or not.
Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy - Chapter 8: On Being a Disciple or Student of Jesus. Pages 283,284.

I agree with Willard that understanding this is crucial, the next quote will help explain why.

to be continued ...

- Peace

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