Go and Make Disciples

God has called us to make disciples.  In fact, it was Jesus' last commandment to His disciples before His ascension into Heaven after the resurrection.  According to Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus told His disciples to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

So, why is it, then, that we as Christians are having such a hard time making disciples?  God said He'd give us a Comforter to help us accomplish what He's called us to do.  So, why don't we do it?

For many of us, it's because we are ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We hide our light so no one can see.  We tell ourselves that faith is a private matter not to be shared with others.  We keep our testimonies to ourselves. 

In fact, the opposite is true.  Our faith is a very public matter, and God wants us to share it with the world.  Like my Pastor says, we don't have to know every book in the Bible to share what God has done in our lives.  We've all got a testimony that we should be sharing with the people around us.

So, why aren't you making disciples today?

God bless,
J.W.

Teach Me How to Love

“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing... And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13: 2,13)

We as believers have the blessing of experiencing the greatest love there is: the love of God. What makes God’s love so special is that His love is totally and completely unconditional. The dictionary defines unconditional as “not contingent; not determined or influenced by someone or something else”. That means that love that is truly unconditional is there just because it is. You can’t do anything to earn it and you can’t do anything to lose it. It is love for love's sake. Romans 8:38-39 declares that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Again, it’s there and it isn’t going anywhere.

In celebrating this fact I began to think: if God is love and as believers God lives inside of us, then shouldn’t we also have His love inside of us? If we are truly designed in God’s image and God is love, then we are capable of the same unconditional love that he shares with us. The ability to love is the greatest quality that we as humans have because it the one that most reflects the image of God. Unfortunately it also seems to be one the one we limit the most.

Imagine if we all loved one another, friend or foe, family or neighbor with no pre-requisites and no requirements, expecting nothing in return. Not only would we be a joy to those around us, but our own condition would improve as a result.

There is a certain peace that you get when your feelings about those around you (and yourself for that matter) are not determined or affected by anything other than the fact that you love them. It’s called “perfect peace”.

I challenge us all to ask God, “Teach me how to love as you do, unconditionally”. I know I will be asking God daily to help me.

Love is Life,
Daniel Lee Robertson

Greetings

Before I begin my first entry in the Journal Your Journey series, I must give all glory and honor to God. At this point in my life the Lord has me in a space of submission and humility. I am learning daily what it means to yield to God’s will and to open myself up to be used by him.

The things that I write will be first and foremost a reflection of the direction the Lord is taking me in my personal relationship with Him. By writing to you all I am in no way professing to be a person without fault, nor am I attempting to “preach” to anyone. In fact, I am bearing my spirit to you all and letting you know that I fall short of the mark every day, and these are the areas in which God is dealing with me personally. That being said, I pray that God be glorified through the things that I share, and should anyone be touched or personally moved by something I write, well then to God be the glory.

I would like to thank James, first and foremost for being my brother, and secondly for allowing me to share this space with him. It has been a blessing to have someone like him in my life that is so close to my age that I can truly consider an example of what it means to be a man of God.

When I expressed interest in contributing to Journal Your Journey my initial thought was to do one guest entry. Without hesitation James said yes and invited me to be a co-author and to contribute as often as I like. This is his baby, and I am grateful that he is allowing me to share in its growth with him.

Lastly I would like to thank all of the followers of Journal Your Journey for taking the time to read as I share my personal journey. I recognize that many of you are friends and family of James and may not know who I am, so I thank you for accepting me into your family. I hope the things that I share touch you and help you through your own personal journeys. I look forward to walking with you all.

With Love,
Daniel Lee Robertson

Brotherly Love

When I first began writing Journal Your Journey some 3 years ago, I had very little plans for it. There were no grand schemes and no large blueprint for where it should go. My goal was simply to share my life story with others who might be going through the same experiences.

Inspired by the book The Purpose Driven Life and its passage on journaling one’s life journey, I pushed past thoughts of doubt about how effective this blog could actually be, and fear of putting my life out there for all to see, and I opened up my heart to the world, hoping that someone might be changed and/or touched by what I wrote.

In doing so, I am humbled and honored to know that this blog has touched many of your lives. Thank you for being a part of my journey and allowing me to speak into your lives through this blog.

Today, I am proud to make a big announcement – the addition of a new co-author to Journal Your Journey.

Meet Daniel Robertson. He is my brother, both personal and spiritual, the best man at my wedding, and a reader of Journal Your Journey. Last night, Danny asked if he could be a part of Journal Your Journey and I immediately agreed. He is truly a man of God that has a story to tell. I am grateful to have him on board.

Moving forward, both Danny and I will be sharing our hearts and souls with you through this blog. As you will see, the entries in this journal will continue to be messages filled with truth, hope, and love.

So, enjoy as you walk the journey of two born again sinners blessed by God to be a blessing to others. We look forward to journaling our journey with you.

God bless,
J.W.

P.S. Stay tuned for Danny’s first blog entry coming soon!

Radio Star

Hey family,

No journal today.

But TONIGHT, Monday July 12 at 7pm, make sure you tune into Sarfmradio.com and listen as Michele and I chat live on the Air It Out Radio Show with our friends Staxx Cordero (Pink Pantha) and Martinique Moore (Kotten Kandy) about our upcoming Off-Broadway play "Love's Gonna Get Ya!"

You don't want to miss it!

For more information about the play, visit TheaterMania.com.

As always, thanks for your support!

God bless,
J.W.

The Ultimate Good

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." ~ Romans 8:28

God is the ultimate good!

Even when we think certain situations aren't working in our favor...

Even when things look grim...

Even when we don't FEEL like He is...

God is God no matter what. We just have to trust and believe that, in the end, God is working things out for our benefit.

Things may not always go your way, but there's always a plan behind every circumstance. Psalm 37:25 says "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."

So, if you're in a state of lost hope, hold on! Keep the faith a little while longer. God WILL show and prove.

He always shines through.

He always has the last word.

God bless,
J.W.

Independence Day

This Independence Day, I celebrated more than just America's freedom from British colonialism.

In many ways, for me, as an African-American, the Fourth of July always comes with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I love being an American and truly believe it's the greatest country on earth. On the other hand, I know this day doesn't truly represent freedom for my people.

But there WAS something to celebrate this past weekend.

The Bible says in Romans 6:6-7: "for we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin — because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."

See, because of what Christ did for us on the cross, we are now free from the chains of bondage called sin. Therefore, Jesus promised us life and life more abundantly (John 10:10).

So, as you go throughout the rest of your days, rejoice in the fact through Christ you can experience true liberty and freedom. That's what life is all about.

God bless,
J.W.

Spreading The Gospel (Part II)

Before Jesus ascended into Heaven after His resurrection, He gave His disciples this command: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15)

While we may not be preachers, we can all take part in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our own way. Whether it be through writing plays or blogs like me, or some other means, God has called us to spread his message throughout the world.

So, what are you doing to take part in this great command of God?

God bless,
J.W.

Spreading The Gospel (Part I)

One area in which I struggle as a Christian is in boldly professing my faith in Jesus Christ. Yes, people know that I'm a Christian, but, in an attempt to avoid ramming my faith down people's throats, many times I find myself holding back from sharing the gospel that I've come to know with others.

While this is directly due to my personality, when you stop and think about it, in a way, it really is a selfish way of living. Here it is that God has given me this powerful gift and told me to share it with others, but for whatever reason, I'd rather keep it all for myself.

No! See, God calls us to be lights in dark places (2 Peter 1:19), a city set on top of a hill (Matthew 5:14), witnesses for Him (1 John 5:10). So, if you're hiding your light from the world, what type of witness are you being for Him?

God bless,
J.W.