We make hundreds of decisions everyday.  Most don’t require deep reflection, or prayer, or council.  But what happens when we come to a major fork in the road?  What happens when we are making a life-altering decision and need to discern what path keeps us on the narrow road?

Jesus is coming to the end of his teaching.  He just finished a teaching section on true and false disciples.  His teaching seems to indicate that surface level appearances don’t tell the whole story.  Here, he seems to make the same conclusion when it comes to true and false disciples.

For Jesus, a true disciple is one who does the will of God (following his teachings and living in intimate communion with him). Jesus underscores an important truth that ministry success and even supernatural miracles are not enough to be a true disciple. (verse 22-23 – “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’)

To become a person who discerns and does the will of God requires us to desire it first.