Developing Disciples

1 John 1:1-4 (NLT)

1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.

Dear Reader, For the next 13 days, we are going to embark on a journey of discipleship together specifically through the book of 1 John. At the end of each day's blog, I will give us a prompt for writing out a prayer. Will you commit to joining me in this journey? Will you ask a friend to join you? Time in God's Word alone and with friends is never wasted. ~Christy

We know John who wrote the book of 1 John was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus called Apostles. He followed Jesus and knew Jesus personally. He saw Jesus crucified and even cared for Jesus' mother after His death on the cross. He also saw Jesus after the resurrection. Therefore, John was an eyewitness of Jesus. John wanted others to know about Jesus so they could know Him, too.
As disciples or followers of Jesus, there are two things we should keep as priorities: our own discipleship and the discipleship of others. We want to continue to grow in Christ and get to know Him better and better. We will not know Christ fully until we get to heaven, but the more we study His Word and spend time in prayer, the more of Himself and His ways He will reveal to us.
Write out a prayer devoting the next 13 days to growing in Christ through the book of 1 John. These exercises in the Word are sure to prove beneficial in our own lives. Ask the Lord if there is someone you could ask to come along on the journey with you. Ask God to give you the courage to invite them to grow with you.