Reflecting God - Embrace Holy Living from The Global Church of the Nazarene in Lenexa, Kansas, United States for Monday, 10 August 2015 - "The Cost of Following Christ" Scripture: Luke 9:57-62

Reflecting God - Embrace Holy Living from The Global Church of the Nazarene in Lenexa, Kansas, United States for Monday, 10 August 2015 - "The Cost of Following Christ" Scripture: Luke 9:57-62RG AUDIO 081015

Luke 9:57 As they were traveling on the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Yeshua answered him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds flying about have nests, but the Son of Man has no home of his own.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me!” but the man replied, “Sir, first let me go away and bury my father.” 60 Yeshua said, “Let the dead bury their own dead; you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God!” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, sir, but first let me say good-by to the people at home.” 62 To him Yeshua said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and keeps looking back is fit to serve in the Kingdom of God.”
"The Cost of Following Christ" by Author: Michael Palmer
The parts of the Gospels that preach love and grace are our favorites. They feel wonderful, good, and right; and they should feel that way. However, the gospel message and the kingdom life will never leave us as we were. God loves us too much to leave us there. To live out the kingdom life means to give up everything we hold dear. We surrender preferences, beliefs, comforts and relationships.
This feels intrusive and feels harsh. We ask, “Why, God?” But as we surrender, and release, we soon realize God is asking for the parts of our lives that hold us back and keep us in bondage. The act of surrendering our comforts and preferences to God is the act of accepting freedom.
When the Gospels promise fulfillment, we should be careful to not expect ease, and when God tells us to trust Him, we must be ready to act on that trust. When He asks for our heart, He will require that heart completely and without competition. We are to take up our cross, and die to ourselves. What have you been holding back? What parts are you waiting to bury, or waiting to overcome?
Hymn for Today: "I Surrender All" by Judson W. Van DeVenter

1. All to Jesus I surrender,

All to Him I freely give;

I will ever love and trust Him,

In His presence daily live.

Refrain:

I surrender all, I surrender all;

All to Thee, my blessed Savior,

I surrender all.

2. All to Jesus I surrender,

Make my, Savior, wholly Thine;

Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit,

Truly know that Thou art mine.

Refrain:

I surrender all, I surrender all;

All to Thee, my blessed Savior,

I surrender all.

3. All to Jesus I surrender,

Lord, I give myself to Thee;

Fill me with Thy love and power,

Let Thy blessing fall on me.

Refrain:

I surrender all, I surrender all;

All to Thee, my blessed Savior,

I surrender all.

Thought for Today:

"18 So all of us, with faces unveiled, see as in a mirror the glory of the Lord; and we are being changed into his very image, from one degree of glory to the next, by Adonai the Spirit." [2 Corinthians 3:18]

Please pray:
For faculty and students as they prepare for Christian ministry in South Africa.
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