Enrolling in Jesus’ Master Classes
If only we would let Jesus ravish our hearts! If only we would see that the opportunity of our lives is to be Jesus' beloved disciple.
Right now the glorious Lord is smiling at you and I. His arms are open to us. Jesus is the Master and we can be his student for everything we do in our lives. What incredible things we can learn from Jesus. What a wonderful adventure our lives become when we live from within the reality and resources of his kingdom of the heavens!
How can we describe what it's like to be an apprentice of Jesus in the school of our daily life?
Imagine if you were a young and aspiring basketball player and Michael Jordan offered to tutor you personally for a few weeks. You could work out with him on the basketball court. You would exercises, dribbling drills, shooting practices, and strategy lessons with him. And you'd learn the intangible things about basketball that are the most valuable of all: his love for the game, the way he thinks and feels about basketball, the way he holds the ball in his hands, how he sees the court, his respect for the game...
Wow! As a teenager and a great Chicago Bulls fan I would've jumped at the chance to study basketball from Michael Jordan. Any aspiring basketball player would. Being Jesus' apprentice needs to be like that to you and I.
Do you want to enroll in Jesus' Master Classes and become his apprentice? How important is it to you? Jesus said:
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men [and women] lay hold of it (Matthew 11:12).
In the Gospels we see examples of what Jesus was talking about: people determined to be a part of the kingdom of heaven. These “forceful” people were ordinary folks like you and I -- they were not Rambo types! Some were ambitious and others were insecure and fearful. All were desperate for Jesus.
These people shouted out at the top of their lungs and made fools of themselves to get Jesus' attention. They pushed their way through crowds or crawled in the dirt in between people's legs to touch him. They walked across deserts, sat in the hot sun for hours and hours, and skipped meals to listen to him teach. They left their businesses and their families and they endured ridicule and abuse to become his disciples. They jumped out of trees, ripped the roofs off houses, and gave up their life savings to fall at his feet and worship him.
Are you and I that eager to approach Jesus as our Master Teacher? Will we invest the time needed to learn from the smartest person who ever lived how we can live our lives well? Will we make being with him our first priority? Will our calendars and checkbooks reflect that Jesus is our first priority? Will we pray and study with him? Will we hang out with his friends? Will our faces light up when he looks our way? Will we daydream about him?
Will we submit ourselves to him, doing whatever he asks? Will we trust that whatever instructions he gives are good for us (even if they don't feel good at the time) and that they are possible for us to learn to do if we rely on him?
Additional Soul Transformation Resources
Pray Bill’s “Apprentice Prayer”
Read How You Can Join Bill’s Practice of Cultivating Longing for God
Sign up for Bill’s free Christian Soul Care Devotional (1-2 devotional teachings per month)
Sign up for Bill’s free Soul Shepherding Blog (1-2 prayer practices per month)
Sign up for Bill’s free pray-a-psalm “tweets” (1-2 centering prayer phrases per day)
William Gaultiere, Ph.D. is a Psychologist specializing in “Christian Soul Care” since 1986. Bill and his wife Kristi (a Marriage and Family Therapist) have a donor-supported ministry to pastors and leaders called Soul Shepherding. In counseling, spiritual mentoring, seminars, and retreats Bill and Kristi help people to connect deeply with Christ in ways that facilitate soul transformation. At Bill and Kristi’s webstie, SoulShepherding.org, you will find articles, prayers, and pictures to nourish your soul in God.
William Gaultiere, Ph.D. ~ Soul Shepherding, 4000 Barranca Pkwy, Suite 250, Irvine, CA 92604 ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org/ ~ 949.262.3699 ~ http://mailto:Bill@SoulShepherding.org