Christ first: C. S. Lewis on the question of discipleship

C. S. Lewis has written extensively on the Christian life, and the brief notes available in our readings for Devotional Classics do not do justice to Lewis' writings on this topic.  However, for the sake of discussion, here are some random thoughts based on this week's readings.

1.  "Either we give up trying to be good, or else we become very unhappy indeed."  This may sound like a very negative statement, but Lewis is touching on a significant biblical truth here. 

Romans 7: 18 "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. . .  24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" 

In the end, we are not capable to doing good.  "In the end you . . . become one of those people who 'live for others' in a discontented, grumbling way, always wondering why the others do not notice it more and always making a martyr of yourself.  And once you have become that you will be a far greater pest to anyone who has to live with you than you would have been if you had remained frankly selfish."

OUCH!!

2.  Christ say, "Give me All. . . . I want you . . . the whole outfit.  I will give you a new self.  In fact, I will give you myself."

Is there any greater gift than that?

3.  The laziest boy in the class is the one who works the hardest.  Laziness means more work in the long run.

I wonder how this relates to "Exercising" faith?

4.  Handing ourselves over to Christ is far easier than attempting to keep personal happiness as our great aim in life, while still being 'good'.  This is exactly what Christ warned us we could not do.  (paraphrase of Lewis' words, p 9).

Grass grows where it is planted.  If you want wheat, or fruit, you must plow the ground and resow.

5.  Focus comes from listening for God's voice daily--and shoving back all personal wishes and hopes for the day, allowing the other stronger, quieter life to come flowing in.

Ah, here we are, back at the place of disciplined devotion and focus on Jesus.

6.  In the end, "The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs.  If they are not doing that, all cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time.  God became Man for no other purpose."

Than to help humanity recover its "God-image." 

Thus, discipleship becomes the process of losing our own failing good works in favor of a new life that brings us into the transforming presence of God with the purpose of making us conduits for God's glory, which will further transform the world around us.

How's your discipleship transformation coming?