Discipleship 101 #2

This is one of the simplest, but most profound and necessary truths in discipleship. Listen to Jesus:

3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great ; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. – Matthew 5:3-12

God is looking for those who are not self-dependent nor self-secure nor self-centered nor self-focused nor self-motivated nor self-agenda-ed (not a real word but hey why not) nor self-defensive. In other words to be a disciple we cannot be about self. As a teacher and mentor I have frustrated about trying to lead "disciples" who refuse to look outside of themselves. This is fundamental in the discipleship process. If we are not about others we are not read to call ourselves a disciple and we will never start discipling others.