John 17:11 And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are.
During the time when Jesus walked the earth, the apostles were primarily those who had met and followed Jesus during His life and were called by Him to spread the gospel. The disciples were Jesus’ followers who devoted themselves to learning from Him and spreading the good news of salvation through Him.
Now as we live today, we can become a disciple for Christ. Jesus has followers all over the world who are on a mission to bring others to Him. We were all created out of love, and we were created to love and to do good. We were created to fulfill our mission to love one another and to bring them to God’s love.
God has given each of us a unique path to follow with the gifts, talents, and graces we will need to become His disciple, but in our hearts, we must choose to follow Him. We are all given this mission, but it is up to each of us to accept it.
Where do we begin? The truth is, we need to be unified for we become strong when we work together. We cannot live this life on our own. We need to love one another, and to remember and believe that love is the key to discipleship. All we are and all that we have been given is to bless one another.
We may find it easy to help someone we know and love with words of encouragement and support to let them know that no matter what happens, we will still be with them. Although we may not always agree, we can pray to see God in their life.
However, a dividing wall may be keeping us from helping our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Regardless of how we love God and His people, we may sometimes still find it difficult to live in unity. That is because we all come with different experiences, perspectives, beliefs, and expectations. We were created with different gifts and personalities, and we all have blind spots, make mistakes, and fall to temptations.
Yet, God is helping His faithful ones to be an example of what the path to unity can look like. The world is watching to see how we treat each other. Even if we have different values, they are still our spiritual family, and we are to treat one another as brothers and sisters. As His disciples, we can be living signs of a love that can bridge all divisions and heal all wounds. Together we can form a wall of strength, become a powerful force, and pray for and look after each other.
So, when differences and challenges come between you and others, take it in stride and keep asking for graces to be patient, kind, and tolerant. None of us were created perfect, but we were created with God’s love in us, and we can push through all the difficulties to be visible signs of God’s unconditional love.
As God’s chosen disciples we ask Him to open our eyes to the opportunities He brings to us to share His love and work together for good. Can you also open your heart to be ready and become one of His modern-day disciples?
Copyright © 2025 Marsha Luke – Rights for non-commercial reproduction granted: May be copied in its entirety, but neither retyped nor edited.