Disciples, Not Duplicates

I have never been drawn to elaborate outfits, extra accessories, or brand-name anything. Throughout most of my life, I never felt the need to adapt my appearance until I joined a new church. The longer I attended, the more I wanted to follow Jesus and be just like these people. I noticed myself choosing clothes I wouldn’t normally wear, looking for a name-brand shoe instead of the one I knew would fit best, and spending energy trying to mimic what I saw others wearing. I was altering my true self to show that I was a follower and could fit in. My mimicking began to seep into other areas: if they parented a certain way, then I should too; if they had a date night on Tuesdays, then I should too. If they went to the prayer meeting every day, then I should too. I wanted my life to look like theirs and to have them say, “Well done.” Oh, how off-track I was! 

After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. (1 Corinthians 3:5-7 NLT)

The Holy Spirit is a gentle counselor. Over a series of years and painful situations, He has taught me that my spiritual leaders are there for guidance but not for me to follow blindly. He has appointed them to disciple me and my family, but not for us to become a duplicate of them. God created me to be me. If I am focused on being like a fellow disciple, I have missed the opportunity to walk hand-in-hand with Jesus into the plan and purpose He gave His life for. 

We live in a fallen world where we want to be like a human we admire more than we want to be set apart. And then, when those humans fail (because we all do), we question God or a church or a denomination when it was we who chose to put our faith in someone other than Jesus. It was our choice to build our house on sand instead of solid rock; no one asked us to, but we have the authority to tear down the idol and rebuild it on the proper foundation.

Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:10-11)

Let’s pray together: Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die for my sins so I could boldly seek Your face. Would You show me daily where I am out of alignment and focused on man’s approval instead of Yours? Help me to honor and respect the leaders in my life according to Your Word and convict me when I am blindly following without the discernment of Your spirit. Jesus, I want to be set apart and follow only You and Your ways, I love You! In Your name, we pray, amen!

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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.