I’ve been a Christian as long as I can remember. I grew up in church, I’ve done Bible studies, and I’m there most Sundays. So I was surprised by how I felt a few weeks ago, sitting through a church series on what it means to be a disciple of Christ.
One of the points was that a disciple lives by following the commands of Christ. I sat there thinking, what are they?
I could name a few. Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself. The Golden Rule. Don’t judge. Turn the other cheek. Stay faithful in marriage. But sitting there, all of it felt foreign. I couldn’t have told you what any of them looked like on an ordinary Tuesday.
What I wanted was a checklist. Something I could mark off and say, done, I’m a good person.
That was the fatigue of life talking, and I know it. But the question stayed with me. I’ve read the New Testament many times, and each time I find something I missed. It’s a living book. So I wondered what would happen if I slowed down, took the commands one at a time, and tried to live each one in a regular day. I decided to do this for November.
Why November
A few years ago I did a gratitude series. Each day was one new thing to be thankful for, and it was a good way to walk into Thanksgiving. This year I’m trying something different: 30 days of following the commands of Christ. I’m hoping the gratitude shows up on its own.
How It Works
Each day has its own post with one command, and every post follows the same five parts:
- The Command: a short summary of the day’s topic
- The Bible Verse: the words of Jesus
- What It Means: a few sentences on the passage it comes from
- Try It Today: one question or small step for your day
- Tonight’s Prayer: a short prayer to close the day
These are meant to be quick, for when you’re on the go. Each one should take about five minutes. On Wednesdays I’ll post a short recap of the week. Day 1 is up now, so you can start today. If you’re reading this later, or you land on a post in the middle of the month, each day stands on its own. Start wherever you are.
I’m not a Bible scholar. I’m a person reading the passage, thinking about it, and trying to do it, and I’m inviting you to do the same.
A Few Notes
This is not the full list of the commands Jesus gave. I grouped similar ones together and then chose 30 that I wanted to work through this month.
I left out the two big ones, love God and love your neighbor. They’re the foundation for everything else, and this series is about the specific actions that help us do both. I wanted a concrete task for each day.
I also chose commands that fit inside a single day, for a busy person. Some of what Jesus said, especially about money and marriage, deserves more than one day, so I’m leaving those for another time.
The last thing I decided was the translation. I’m using the ESV. It isn’t the one I usually read, so I wanted to come to these words with fresh eyes.
Join Me
If you’ve ever sat in church and thought, where do I start?, this is for you. Start with Day 1: Come to Jesus, and then come back tomorrow.
And if you’re willing, tell me in the comments: which command of Jesus is the hardest for you to put into practice?