What Jesus Did! 'First Priority: Following Jesus' — Luke 9:59-60

Saturday, June 24, 2023

[Jesus] said to another person, "Come, follow me."

The man agreed, but he said, "Lord, first let me return home and bury my father."

But Jesus told him, "Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God."

— Luke 9:59-60 NLT

Key Thought

Following Christ is our highest priority. Nothing should stand in our way. Does that mean abandoning our responsibility to our families? Certainly not! God makes clear that how we live in our families is crucial to our discipleship and to our leadership. However, we so often use family concerns as excuses for not following rather than reconciling family matters with Kingdom values and priorities. Jesus must come first. God and his Kingdom must be THE priority in our families. Our families must see honoring God as the primary value lived out in our own personal lives.

Today's Prayer

Give me wisdom, O God, to make you and your Kingdom THE primary value of my home. Help me demonstrate your compassion and your holy character in my interactions with my loved ones. Help me be loyal, faithful, and supportive of them so they will see those characteristics in me and know that my heart's first allegiance is to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

2 Related Resources by Heartlight

One Singular Purpose
Devo: A Year with Jesus
"Dear Disciple, Following Me is hard. I want your heart. I want your focus. I want your future. I want to be your consuming passion. Yes, I know..."
Seize Today
Article by Paul Faulkner
Why are you putting so much stuff off? Procrastination nearly always makes things worse, so why do we put off so much stuff; and let's stop procrastinating and seize today!

Illustration

Illustration of Luke 9:59-60 NLT — "Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God."

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Saturday, June 24, 2023

God's Holy Fire
A daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
'Spirit-Warned' (Ac. 21:4)
"[Paul and his traveling companions] looked up the local disciples [in Tyre] and stayed with them seven days. Their message to Paul, from insight given by the..."
A Year with Jesus
A devotional to help reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives.
'Surprised?'
"Dear Beloved, I hope you enjoy reading the verses below as much as I enjoyed being at work in the lives of My disciples bringing them deliverance. ....."
Today's Verse
A daily devotional featuring a Bible verse, thought and prayer.
Ephesians 5:25-26
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy."
Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'Under Slanderous Attacks I Trust in You!'
"I am constantly hounded by those who slander me, and many are boldly attacking me. But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for...."

About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

More What Jesus Did!