Your Daily Devotional for June 25, 2007

 

June 25,  2007

 

 

A True Disciple

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

"Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."

 

John 6:26-27

 

 

The story is told of a young woman who began working at a bank. She asked her supervisor, "How will I be able to detect counterfeit bills? Will you let me feel some of them?" The supervisor stated, "No, we will only allow you to handle authentic paper currency, and then, when you handle the counterfeit, you will be able to discover the difference."

 

In our verses today we will see that our Lord had no difficulty seeing the difference between the counterfeit followers and the authentic believers. One of the primary differences between the two groups of people is found in the pursuit of the followers versus the pursuit of the believers.

 

The followers were attracted to the feeding of the five thousand and the other events around Capernaum. They came only to see Christ's miracles. But the true believers were adhering to the truth of God's teachings. Christ tells them in verse 26, "Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled." Christ knew their hearts and He saw their commitment to Him.

 

The pursuit of a true disciple will always be noticeably different from a counterfeit follower. There are many people who pursue Christ only for temporary satisfaction or monetary gain. But a true disciple will pursue Christ for salvation and for peace and joy. They seek to know God's Word and they desire to walk with God.

 

Not only do true disciples seek to know God's Word, but they also obey His Word! Counterfeit disciples will sometimes read the Word of God, but will not apply it to their lives. They know God's laws and His commands but they do not desire to please God by obeying them.

 

Arabian horses go through rigorous training in the deserts of the Middle East. The trainers require absolute obedience from the horses and test them to see if they are completely trained. The final test is almost beyond the endurance of any living thing. The trainer forces the horses to do without water for many days. Then he turns them loose and of course they start running toward the water, but just as they get to the edge, ready to plunge in and drink, the trainer blows his whistle. The horses who have been completely trained and who have learned perfect obedience, stop. They turn around and come pacing back to the trainer. They stand there quivering, wanting water, but they wait in perfect obedience. When the trainer is sure that he has their obedience he gives them a signal to go back to drink. The trainer can tell which horses have been trained well by their obedience. Even so, others can see our true commitment to Christ by our obedience of His Word.

 

As believers, we must make sure we are not only reading God's Word, but are obeying it as well. Have you read God's Word today? Are you obeying His Word? Make sure your life shows that you are a true disciple of Christ today.

 

 

Daily Bible Reading

Job 3-4 • Acts 7:44-60

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