Reconciliation & other thoughts

     Met again with two precious brothers yesterday morning. S & S are faithful men in the Lord Jesus. Initially I discussed disciple making with one of them- the practical "how-to's" that I have learned the hard way through personal experience. One key is that there is a distinct difference between mentoring and disciple-making. Another is that the people God gives us to work with are His disciples not ours. A third is the necessity of commitment. If a person is not able or willing to prioritize getting together on a very regular basis you are wasting your time. Pray to God for someone who is willing to commit.
    When the second "S" arrived we switched to a brief study of the theme of reconciliation using the following verses: Romans 5:10-11, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, Ephesians 2:16, and Colossians 1:20,22. Key themes are that God reconciled us to Himself; we did not reconcile ourselves to Him. He initiated this process when we were His enemies. He did this through Jesus Christ, His death on the cross. He put to death the hostility between His original chosen people, the Jews, and the non Jewish Gentiles. Praise Him for his merciful kindness towards us.
     The home where I live has a long, steep driveway like climbing a hill. Having discovered that this provides better exercise than my previous walks I am now ascending and descending this for over an hour each day. While this may seem mindless- a long walk to nowhere- it provides opportunity to pray. Thank you, Jesus.
     Perseverance is underrated. Walking up and down the driveway twenty-five times improves my physical condition. Studying Portuguese one and a half hours a day is slowly improving my ability in the language. Walking with Jesus over decades also requires perseverance. "Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1b NIV)