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Luke 9

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Verses 23-27, “Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.  But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.' ”

Denying self is a foreign concept in a country where everyone indulges their selfish pleasures. Too many people live their lives for what they can see...the here and now...with little to no regard to what their eternal future will look like. Is it really going to matter what you looked like, the talent you possessed in your hobby, how popular you were among men, or how much money and possessions you were able to obtain, once you are gone from this earth?  You certainly won't be taking any of these things that you worked so hard for with you. 1 Timothy 6:6-8, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.”  If life is a vapor which vanishes quickly, what should be the priority when consuming our time, energy, and finances? James 4:13-15, “Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit'; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.  Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.' ”  Rather than striving for worldly things, our aim should be godliness with contentment, which is true gain. 

Verses 57-62, “Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, 'Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.' And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.' Then He said to another, 'Follow Me.' But he said, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.' Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.' And another also said, 'Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.' But Jesus said to him, 'No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.' ”

Many of us are at that point where there is no turning back. Even though what lies ahead may be difficult, we know too much to go backwards, giving us no choice but to plow on ahead. Sitting still is not an option either. When you fail to choose, don't be surprised if you find yourself in a trial designed to get you moving once again. If you are truly a child of God, He will discipline and guide us, using tough love when necessary. Following Jesus just might cost you everything and you need to be prepared for that. If you are unwilling to forsake it all for Him, you cannot be His disciple according to the word.  Luke 14:28-30, 33, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the 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 likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”

The world loves to mock the professing Christian when they fall. We need to make sure we are willing to endure until the end, no matter how foolish we may look to others. One wanted to go bury his father, but Jesus wanted him to do something with spiritual significance...to go a preach the gospel to those who can still be affected. If burying a dead relative wasn't a good enough excuse for Jesus, imagine how pathetic our excuses are for not spending time in the word or choosing this world, and the people of it, over Him. There is no good excuse; He is worthy of all we have and we all need to repent of putting other things before Him. Jesus said the greatest command is to “...love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.”  Pray that you would have the strength to deny yourself and love Him...the way He deserves to be loved. Not one of us has yet to perfect this act of obedience. 

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