Marks of Discipleship - Spending Time with the Teacher

Discipleship isn’t about checking religious boxes—it’s about living from your identity as God’s beloved, deepening your relationship with Christ, letting your mind be renewed, showing up in community, and serving the world with love. In this devotional series, Pastor Nate shares reflections on different aspects of discipleship.

“Spending Time with the Teacher”
But seek first the kingdom of God and his] righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:33

You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty – Psalm 91:1


I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. – John 15:5


Disciples are people who spent time with their teacher.  As disciples of Jesus Christ we are called to spend time with Jesus.  In order to better understand who Jesus is and the how his teaching apply to our life we need to spend time with him.   Not only that, but we need to build a relationship with Jesus so that we know his love for us in a deep way.   By spending time with our Teacher, we develop the skills and wisdom he longs to teach us and we develop a sense of security and confidence knowing that Jesus, our loving teacher, is always guiding and encouraging us.
 
Spending time with Jesus is simpler than you think.  It can be done through prayer, worship, or even simple silence.  I personally love taking 10 minutes at the start of my day to close my eyes and sit still.  During this silence I imagine letting go of everything and resting in Jesus’ arms.  I don’t need anything more than to be with Jesus at that time.  I don’t ask for anything, I don’t think about my to do list for the day or my mistakes from yesterday, I let everything go and simply imagine myself in the presence of Jesus.

By carving out time to simply be with Jesus our Teacher, we can hear his voice and understand the events of our life more clearly.  By spending time with the Teacher our hearts are opened and our path forward becomes clearer.

Pastor Nate

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