Intentional About Discipleship

I have 3 sons, all of whom I love a lot. They are my disciples. I see this in the ways their behaviors mimic mine. I am a physically affectionate person: hugging, kissing, wrestling . . . my boys share this trait. My voice tends to get so loud in conversation that it will crowd out other conversations . . . my boys share this trait. I get very excited about Florida football and rarely miss a game . . . my four year old is able to articulately explain the play-by-play of a college football game and my two year old (whose vocabulary is limited to less that twenty words) loves to scream, with much excitement, TOUCHDOWN GATORS.

So I have noticed that I am discipling my boys all the time, whether I am aware of it or not. Whether we are sitting down to eat, driving to the store, getting ready for bed, or getting started in the morning, they are watching, listening to, and, ultimately, following my example.

This reminds me of how God instructs Israel in Deuteronomy 6 to be intentional in raising up their next generation:

6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
There are two big things that stand out to me in this passage.
(1) Teaching our disciples (children) what it means to be a disciple of Jesus happens by intentionality taking advantage of everyday circumstances (v. 7 - when you sit . . . walk . . . lie down . . . rise). This is not so much about creating a designated "discipleship week" every week. Discipleship is going to happen when you eat together, drive together, work together, or play together, by remaining intentional in those moments to connect your life and your disciple's life to the realities of God and His Kingdom.
(2) Before we are disciple-makers we are disciples. This means that we must ourselves be intentional to live with the realities of God's character and Kingdom always before us (v.6 - these commands . . . shall be on your heart; v. 8 - you shall bind them . . . on your hand . . . between your eyes). A prerequisite to effectively leading someone to grow as a disciple of Jesus is that you yourself must be growing as a disciple of Jesus. You must commit to be one before you make one.