Devotionals for April 15, 2022
We have Good Friday service tonight at 7:00pm. Don't miss it!
READ
MATTHEW 10:37-39
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”
LUKE 14:27-33
“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish...So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
DEUTERONOMY 6:4-6
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”
LUKE 14:27-33
“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish...So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
DEUTERONOMY 6:4-6
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.
REFLECT
These are hard words because it’s the renouncing of self for the sake of Christ. This message counters everything our culture is telling us: Your happiness is the ultimate truth. Your total comfort, your goal. Security and wealth a sign of ‘favor.’ Yet Jesus tells us to lose our lives to truly gain them in return. Though there will be pain and loss, the greater joy and hope of being a disciple far outweigh the cost.
APPLY
Q: Why is there a cost to being a disciple of Jesus? Why is it worth it?
Q: How may you be avoiding the costliness of being a disciple? How can you refocus on the joy of following Jesus with all your heart, mind, and soul?
Q: When we have one foot in the grasp of the world and one-foot sort of following Jesus, what does it communicate about the Gospel to others? What needs to change?
Q: How may you be avoiding the costliness of being a disciple? How can you refocus on the joy of following Jesus with all your heart, mind, and soul?
Q: When we have one foot in the grasp of the world and one-foot sort of following Jesus, what does it communicate about the Gospel to others? What needs to change?
SING
PRAY
"And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one."
Lord God, the temptation to follow the path of the world feels too easy sometimes. Help me to see things and others as You see them. Lord, unite my heart to follow you with all of my heart, soul, and mind. Show me the things I’m holding onto. Lord Jesus, following You is so worth it. I praise you and thank you for being a good King! Amen.
Lord God, the temptation to follow the path of the world feels too easy sometimes. Help me to see things and others as You see them. Lord, unite my heart to follow you with all of my heart, soul, and mind. Show me the things I’m holding onto. Lord Jesus, following You is so worth it. I praise you and thank you for being a good King! Amen.