S)"18 I urged Titus to go, and I sent the brother with him. Titus did not take any advantage of you, did he? Did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit and walk in the same steps?"
2 Corinthians 12:18 (NASB)
O) This is the epitome of discipleship. The whole goal is that you are walking in integrity and righteousness and teaching another to do the same. So, the result is that if the disciple is sent instead of the teacher, then the people should see no differences between the two - not in the matters most important.
A) There are two ways for this to be applied to me. The first is as a disciple of Christ. He is the ultimate Teacher and I need to be sure that my life is being modeled after His in terms of how I carry myself. I need to speak the truth, but in love. I need to be gentle in ministry, yet firm in righteousness. Etc. The second is as a teacher. At the moment, I have the privelege to still be discipling a young man to some degree. My time with him directly is limited because he has a fiance, job, school, and two ministries. I know I have only a short time left with him directly, also. But, my hope is that years from now he is able to bless me by counting me as one who shaped his life to become more Christ-like for himself. This is how I need to approach every opportunity to minister and disciple others - especially my own children.
P) Father, I want to be a better son. I know that Jesus, Your only begotten Son, is the perfect model of how I need to carry myself as one of Your princes, so I invite Your discipline to become more Christ-like myself. Holy Spirit, as I minister to others, guide me to make the most of my time with them. I like down-time and fellowship, but I don't want to miss opportunities. Help me conduct myself according to the will of the Father, so my ministries will always be effective. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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