Ready, Steady, GrowSample

### Discipleship In it for the long haul. Have you noticed that we all seem to be in a hurry? Hurrying to catch the next train, the next flight, the next meeting. Our world gravitates toward quick wins and shortcuts. We want to get to the next big thing, and we want to get there fast. In addition, the rapid growth and expansion of technology has led to shorter and shorter attention spans. Let’s face it, our environment doesn’t condition us for long activities or journeys and so, the concept of the long journey of Christian faith seems foreign to many non-believers and believers. There is no microwave version of Christian faith. It is a get your hands dirty kind of journey which lasts our entire lives. It starts with repentance, a conscious decision to turn from our old ways and follow Jesus Christ, and continues throughout our journey on earth as we surrender ourselves to be transformed more and more into who God wants us to be. (Ephesians 4:22-24). For this transformation to be successful, we need to commit to go the whole way. We must see the outcome in our minds – a life of holiness lived through relationship with God – and we must make up our minds to achieve it no matter what. Without a firm commitment, we will easily be distracted by the latest fad, the newest belief trend or simply get bogged down by the fact that we are not seeing quick results. Sometimes, this journey of holiness hurts, as we find ourselves letting go of habits, lifestyles and sometimes desires which are not necessarily bad but do not align with God’s plan for our lives. If we must go the long way, then we must commit to trusting God no matter what comes our way. (Habakkuk 3:17-18). We are not without help on this journey though. Jesus Himself promised to be with us throughout our journey, and we also have a helper in the Holy Spirit to guide us and teach us. (Mathew 28:20; John 14:26). God is not just sitting at the finish line waiting on us; He is with us all the way, encouraging, teaching, strengthening, and loving us in our successes and failures with a love that we can never truly understand. And so, wherever you are in your journey -a new believer, a returnee, or an old timer in need of a reminder- make the commitment today to go the long way, the whole way, with God. Tap into His abundant grace and mercy and trust that He has your best interest at heart as He transforms you more and more into His image.