Devotional Classics – Lewis on Discipleship
Posted by mattodegaard on February 18, 2008
I began this week in a new group with some great Christian brothers and one of the things we are doing together is reading “Devotional Classics” edited by Richard Foster. The first reading is CS Lewis from “Mere Christianity” on Discipleship.
This reading concerns the Christian way of life versus the way of the natural self. The Christian way is “harder and easier.” Jesus says, “give me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want YOU. I have not come to torment your natural self, I have come to kill it.”
There is this dichotomy in following Jesus: “Take up your Cross” (Mt 16) but “My burden is light.” (Mt 11) How is it that as a Christian we are to die to self, pick up the heavy cross of Christ, but at the same time, his Spirit comes along and makes our burden lighter than any burden we carry ourselves?
I especially like his reason the church exists -
The whole reason the church exists is to draw [people] into Christ and make them little Christs [Christ-ians]. Lewis even makes the assertion that “it is even doubtful whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose.” I tend to agree. What higher calling would God have for us than to make Him known and to know him ourselves.
