by Anonymous | Jan 20, 2026 | Life and Faith, NO Accidental Disciples
The Grand Canyon didn’t appear overnight. Centuries of persistent water and wind slowly carved away at the rock, revealing something vast, awe-inspiring, and beautiful. That’s the kind of shaping God does in our lives through consistent, intentional steps in our spiritual walk. Transformation rarely comes in a flash. More often, it’s the small, steady rhythms that quietly shape who we are.
Pastor David challenged us: “Without a consistent devotional life, you can’t really call yourself a disciple of Jesus.” Discipleship isn’t just agreeing with Jesus’ teachings; it’s apprenticing under Him. A disciple who doesn’t regularly sit with Jesus in Scripture and prayer isn’t rebellious—they’re simply distracted.
The real question is: how long can someone stay distracted and still call themselves a disciple? Eventually, distraction becomes a pattern, and patterns shape us more than intentions ever will. Like a river carving a canyon: it’s not about one splash, one flood, or one dramatic moment. It’s the steady, faithful presence over time that shapes the landscape—and the disciple.
Paul makes this clear when he tells Timothy, “Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:15, CSB). Practice. Commit. Progress. None of it happens by accident. Consistency matters. Repetition matters. Presence matters.
Our world is full of spiritual sound bites—podcasts, reels, quotes, sermons on demand. They can encourage us in the moment, but they don’t form us. Formation happens through rhythm. Through remaining in God’s Word. Through letting it sink in and gradually shape us, like centuries of water revealing the depth and beauty of a canyon.
Jesus said it this way: “Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me” (John 15:4, CSB). Remaining doesn’t mean perfection. It means persistence. Staying connected even when it’s dry. Even when it’s quiet. Even when nothing feels dramatic.
One of the most freeing reminders is that there’s no single “right” way to have a devotional life. Morning or evening. Structured or simple. One chapter or one verse. What matters isn’t the method—it’s the intention. Five focused minutes with God will form you more than an hour you never actually do.
And yes, there will be seasons where reading Scripture feels alive and refreshing—and seasons where it feels hard, boring, or painfully quiet. That doesn’t mean God has left. Often, it means He’s sustaining you with what He’s already poured into you. The Word stored in faithful seasons carries us through the heavy ones.
Discipleship is choosing, again and again, to place ourselves where God can shape us, because there are no accidental disciples.
A Response for the Week:
Pick one small, realistic rhythm you can maintain this week—five minutes a day with Scripture and prayer. Let it be like a steady river slowly carving a canyon: consistent, intentional, shaping your heart in ways that last. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak through God’s Word, then show up faithfully. Don’t aim for impressive. Aim for intentional. Formation happens there.
by Anonymous | Jan 14, 2026 | Life and Faith, NO Accidental Disciples
Most of us love the idea of new things. New year. New habits. New prayers. New faith goals. We’re very into the new wine part. What we’re less excited about? New wineskins.
Jesus once said, “No one puts new wine into old wineskins” (Luke 5:37). Not because the wine is bad—but because the container can’t handle what’s coming. New wine expands. Old wineskins crack. And nobody wants wasted wine.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: sometimes the biggest barrier to growth isn’t our sin—it’s our familiarity. The ways we’ve always thought. The spiritual rhythms we’ve outgrown. The “this worked once” faith that quietly resists transformation. We don’t mean to get stuck. We just get… comfortable.
Paul puts it this way: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, CSB)
New creation. Present tense. Ongoing reality. Which means discipleship isn’t about stacking more spiritual information onto an old framework—it’s about allowing God to reshape the framework itself.
That takes humility. The kind that says, “Lord, maybe I don’t have this as figured out as I thought.” The kind that admits mental agreement without heart transformation doesn’t actually change anyone. The kind that lets God say, “We’re going somewhere new—but you can’t bring that mindset with you.”
Peter’s story reminds us this is normal. Jesus didn’t wait until Peter had it all together. He called him in the middle of his mess. And instead of discarding him when he failed, Jesus kept shaping him—through obedience, correction, failure, restoration, and intentional following.
Discipleship is learning to live flexible enough for God to keep expanding us.
Peter later wrote: “Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded, and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13, CSB)
That phrase—minds ready for action—is intentional discipleship language. Growth doesn’t happen by accident. Neither does transformation. God supplies the grace, but we choose the posture.
So here’s the question this week isn’t “Do I want new wine?” It’s “Am I willing to become new wineskin?” Because God isn’t finished with you yet—and what He’s pouring out next is worth making room for.
A Response for the Week:
Set aside 10 intentional minutes this week—no multitasking, no scrolling. Ask God: “Is there a mindset, habit, or assumption You’re inviting me to release so I can grow?” Listen. Write it down. Pray over it. And choose one small, obedient step that creates space for what God wants to do next.
by Anonymous | Jan 7, 2026 | Life and Faith, NO Accidental Disciples
Think about Michelangelo and David for a second. That masterpiece didn’t start with the perfect shape. It started as a big, rough block of marble. And here’s the fun part—he didn’t add anything to make it beautiful. Nope. Every single strike of the chisel was about taking something away. Every chunk he removed got him closer to the image he already saw in his mind.
That’s exactly how God works with us in discipleship. He’s not just sprinkling life lessons or spiritual confetti on top of us and calling it good. He’s actively removing the things that don’t belong in the masterpiece He’s creating. Sometimes that’s obvious stuff—anger, pride, fear. But sometimes it’s sneaky: habits, attitudes, relationships, or even “good” things we thought were part of who we are.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (CSB) says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Becoming a disciple isn’t passive—it’s active. Every choice to follow Jesus is like letting Him strike the marble in just the right spot. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable, even painful, and sometimes God removes pieces that feel familiar or useful—but it’s not punishment. It’s preparation, clearing away the extra stuff so the true image of Christ in you can shine through.
A Response for the Week:
Take 10 minutes this week—maybe with your coffee, maybe hiding from the chaos, maybe in your car—and ask God to show you what He’s chiseling away in your life. What’s that piece you thought belonged, but doesn’t actually belong in the masterpiece He’s creating? Surrender it, let Him do His work, and watch the masterpiece start to emerge.
