What Jesus Did : Luke 14:25-27 - The Great Cost
by Phil Ware
The Great Cost - Luke 14:25-27
Many people were traveling with Jesus. Jesus said to the people, "If a person comes to me, but will not leave his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, or sisters, then that person cannot be my follower. A person must love me more than he loves anything—even his own life! If a person will not carry the cross (suffering) that is given to him when he follows me, then that person cannot be my follower." (ERV) Full TextKey Thought
To receive the gift of salvation is the greatest blessing any of us could receive. However, with such a great blessing also comes a high cost. Jesus died to give us this gift. To share in the new life of salvation, he calls on us to join him in his death, burial, and resurrection. When we die with Christ in baptism, we are also putting to death the old selfish person of sin and offering ourselves to God. Jesus becomes our highest love and greatest priority. We serve him first and trust that he will bless us with what we need. Jesus and his Kingdom become our highest passion.
Today's Prayer
Almighty God, you are worthy of all worship and praise. You worked through history to fulfill your promise. Time after time you saved your rebellious children and brought them back to you. You preserved the people of your name and through them gave us the gift of your Son. Jesus, you gave us the ultimate sacrifice; you gave your life for our sins so we could share in your Father's glory. So today, dear Father, more than I have ever been able to do before, I offer myself—my heart, soul, mind, and strength—to live for you. I willingly count all my past glories as refuse in comparison to knowing your grace. I thank you, dear Father, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Today's Verses in Context
Many people were traveling with Jesus. Jesus said to the people, "If a person comes to me, but will not leave his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, or sisters, then that person cannot be my follower. A person must love me more than he loves anything—even his own life! If a person will not carry the cross (suffering) that is given to him when he follows me, then that person cannot be my follower. If you wanted to build a building, you would first sit down and decide how much it would cost. You must see if you have enough money to finish the job. If you don't do that, you might begin the work, but you would not be able to finish. And if you could not finish it, then all the people watching would laugh at you. They would say, 'This man began to build, but he was not able to finish!' "If a king is going to fight against another king, first he will sit down and plan. If the king has only 10,000 men, he will plan to see if he is able to defeat the other king that has 20,000 men. If he cannot defeat the other king, then he will send some men to speak to the other king and ask for peace. It is the same for each of you. You must decide if you can leave everything you have to follow me. If not, you cannot be my follower! "Salt is a good thing. But if the salt loses its salty taste, then you can't make it salty again. It is worth nothing. You can't even use it for soil or for plant food. People throw it away. "You people that hear me, listen!"-- Luke 14:25-35 (ERV)
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