CONTINUITY IN FATH AS A MARK OF TRUE DISCIPLESHIP.
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One thing that stands out in God’s “marking script” for true discipleship is continuity. Jesus, in the book of John 8:31 had cause to address some believers on the importance of continuing in His Word as a mark of true discipleship:
So Jesus was saying to the Jews who had believed Him,
“If you abide in My word [continually obeying My teachings
and living in accordance with them, then] you are truly My disciples.
( Amplified Bible)
When you take upon yourself the on and off kind of Christianity which many practice today; it will take you nowhere. “Start and quench” kind of devotion to God will not guarantee you a future with God.
Jesus, in the book of John 8:31 wasn’t talking to unbelievers. He was actually talking to born again believers and emphasizing the need for them not just to believe in His Word, but to continue in it. No matter how loud your start is, your ability to keep and stay on, is what makes for victorious living. It is true that better is the end of a thing than the beginning.
God is not only interested in how you start, He eagerly longs to see how well you are able to keep on. With all manner of emotional outburst in the Church as we have around today, God is not moved. His eyes are not just on your starting point, His eyes are on the track; because your performance on the track determines the kind of finishing that accrues you.
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God is God; He is not man. He cannot be mocked. Whatever you sow is what turns out to be your harvest. When the Israelites saw the manifestation of God’s glory on Mount Sinai; they were so captivated that they went to Moses and told him to go up and meet the Lord and receive words from Him, with a vow that they were ready to do all and whatever the Lord would have them to do.
It was a good start in the walk on the path of obedience by God’s people, but God wasn’t carried away by their good talk. When Moses rehearsed their commitment to God; God wasn’t just interested in what they had to say, He was more interested in their ability to continue in such a Godly kind of reverence and fear. He told Moses –
“O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and their children forever” Deuteronomy 5:29.
“Start and quench” will take you nowhere with God. Your ability to continue in the Word of God is an enhancer of your well being. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:19- for us to quench the spirit. Stay aglow with God’s Word and be blessed.
