My True Disciples
Scripture: Luke 14:25-27, 33
"A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple...So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own."
Observations:
Again, Jesus' ministry is gaining a huge following and He's got a large crowd following Him around. And You'd think Jesus wouldn't do something so stupid that would jeopardize His "ministry" and possibly cause Him to lose followers. But right in the middle of this momentum He tries again to filter out those who are truly devoted to Him from those who aren't really all that commited by explaining to them what it meant to be one of His disciples. What exactly did that require you ask? Total commitment. Unwavering loyalty. Reckless abandment at any cost- friends, family, reputation, even your own life. And then He tops it all off by basically saying, "and by the way, if you're not willing or just not sure about all this, don't even bother. In fact, don't even consider a half-hearted commitment. I want you to understand exactly what you're signing up for because following me will require everything you have. I can't and I won't accept anything less from you." What's interesting though is that Jesus' "harsh" statement was not a rebuke but an invitation (vs.26). But seriously, who in their right mind would ever sign up for that, right? That is unless, after actually considering the cost and sacrifice Jesus requires, you still believe that He's worth following.
Application:
In the world of religion, Jesus is actually pretty popular. He still draws huge crowds on a weekly basis. Today there are countless people among the crowds of people who would say they are following Jesus but who have yet to personally answer the call to "count the cost" and "give up everything". But Jesus still invites all of us into full-blown relationship with Him that knows no boundaries, holds nothing back, will sacrifice anything, and will follow Him to the death. Actually, according to Jesus, He has no other kind of disciples.
Prayer:
Father, we give You our all today and confess that following Christ is worth more than our very lives and today we surrender all that we are and all that we have to You. We accept Your invitation to step out from among the crowds and follow You no matter what the cost. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
"A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple...So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own."
Observations:
Again, Jesus' ministry is gaining a huge following and He's got a large crowd following Him around. And You'd think Jesus wouldn't do something so stupid that would jeopardize His "ministry" and possibly cause Him to lose followers. But right in the middle of this momentum He tries again to filter out those who are truly devoted to Him from those who aren't really all that commited by explaining to them what it meant to be one of His disciples. What exactly did that require you ask? Total commitment. Unwavering loyalty. Reckless abandment at any cost- friends, family, reputation, even your own life. And then He tops it all off by basically saying, "and by the way, if you're not willing or just not sure about all this, don't even bother. In fact, don't even consider a half-hearted commitment. I want you to understand exactly what you're signing up for because following me will require everything you have. I can't and I won't accept anything less from you." What's interesting though is that Jesus' "harsh" statement was not a rebuke but an invitation (vs.26). But seriously, who in their right mind would ever sign up for that, right? That is unless, after actually considering the cost and sacrifice Jesus requires, you still believe that He's worth following.
Application:
In the world of religion, Jesus is actually pretty popular. He still draws huge crowds on a weekly basis. Today there are countless people among the crowds of people who would say they are following Jesus but who have yet to personally answer the call to "count the cost" and "give up everything". But Jesus still invites all of us into full-blown relationship with Him that knows no boundaries, holds nothing back, will sacrifice anything, and will follow Him to the death. Actually, according to Jesus, He has no other kind of disciples.
Prayer:
Father, we give You our all today and confess that following Christ is worth more than our very lives and today we surrender all that we are and all that we have to You. We accept Your invitation to step out from among the crowds and follow You no matter what the cost. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
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