Intentional Discipleship
When I was eight years old someone gave us an album by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans titled “Jesus Loves Me.” One of the songs was “The Circuit Riding Preacher” and it included a poem by Edgar Guest. The poem, “Show Me” was revised as follows:
The Circuit Riding Preacher said these words one day,
I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day,
And I’d rather one walk with me
Than merely show the way.
For the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds
And to see their good in action
Is what everybody needs.
Lord, I can learn to do it if they let me see it done,
I can watch their hands in action
But their tongues too fast may run.
And the sermons they deliver may be very wise and true
But I’d rather get my lesson by watching what they do.
For I may misunderstand them and the high advice they give
But there’s no misunderstanding how they act and how they live.
I loved this poem and tried to live it. In 2023 I have to say I was not always successful, but I tried.
As a pastor I taught Wesley’s Three Simple Rules: Do no harm, do good, and keep the ordinances of the Church. Simple, yes. Easy? Not always.
But we are never alone as we navigate this life. When Jesus left this mortal plane, he promised a Helper, or an Advocate, and so we have the Holy Spirit who empowers us to live according to the precepts found in the Holy Bible, embodied in the writings of John Wesley, and the creed found within this simple poem.
Looking for a New Year’s resolution? Today I encourage you to recommit your life to, as Ray Vander Laan says, “follow so closely to Jesus that the dust of His sandals covers you.” Don’t settle for just being a Christian—be an intentional disciple.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
- Posted in: Blogs
Seeking Holiness 