Special thanks to Jill Hamming from PEI who is writing the devotionals on the readings from Luke (with help from L.E.Porter’s commentary on Luke).
SCRIPTURE: Luke 14:25-34
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION
- Jesus turns to the crowd here and challenges them. If you are going to follow Him, Jesus has to be first in your life. You must love Him more than your parents or children or spouse or yourself. Whatever plan you have, whatever is most important to you, give it up, Jesus has to be first.
- He wants them to think seriously about this. Like when you build a house it’s a big deal. First you carefully figure out what it will cost and if you can do it. Or like a king does not go to war unless he knows he has a big enough army to win. So we are making a really important choice, to follow Jesus, we must count the cost.
- I think when we first choose to follow Jesus we have no idea what the cost is. It is only as we get to know Him, serve Him, love Him; we begin to realize what it is to put Him first. Putting Jesus first always turns out to be the best thing for us but it does not always look like it. Sometimes people don’t understand why we do certain things. I know that some of my Jesus choices have embarrassed my children. (I don’t like that) Sometimes my taking a stand causes misunderstanding that I cannot explain or defend.
- Sometimes when I don’t put Jesus first it is because I am selfish. I want to do what I want to do… like play computer instead of do the work He wants me to do… Sometimes I don’t want to look foolish so I don’t speak up. Sometimes I think of my things as mine and I don’t want to give them up… It is only as I am willing to let Jesus change my heart and attitude that I am able to do what He calls me to do…
PRAYER:
Thank-you Jesus that You call us to You. Show us what it means to put You first. Amen