Can your discipleship withstand pressure?

All of us receive the call to discipleship but not all of us have answered the call or have gone on to embrace and practice it. Yet, all of us would claim that we are indeed disciples. The real challenge comes, however, when we face the pressures of discipleship.

This week we have looked at how some of the first disciples responded under pressure. The greed, power, and flight models are most interesting. Some disciples still run from the pressures and/or from the Master. Some rob the treasury and are selfish and still others call down fire to consume those who disagree with them. Are these the best ways to respond to those who disagree with us? Yet, before you blame them, how do you yourself respond as a disciple when someone cuts you off on the highway? What happens when you are on the bus or train and hear the name and/or cause of God being maligned? Do you speak up or do you remain silent? Do you defend it or do you walk away?

One of the greatest challenges to discipleship may come in terms of a thorn in the flesh. The apostle Paul had to live with his thorn which some believe had to do with his sight. The famous composer Ludwig Beethoven had some difficulty living with his thorn in the flesh which was deafness. David Hume says Beethoven wrote a sad will in which he admitted that at times he felt like taking his life. How will you respond to your thorn in the flesh and how will it affect your discipleship? Discipleship is a brilliant concept and a great practice but it is not easily lived. It requires commitment, faith, boldness, understanding, resilience, and guts. People learn more from what they see than from what they hear. What will they see when your discipleship comes under fire?Can your discipleship withstand pressure?