Note: This devotional is taken from the 2023 Prayer and Fasting Week.
Day 2
Truth to Ponder
READ: Luke 14:25-33
When asked, most Christians would say that they are following Jesus. They would likely say that an integral part of their faith is following God. The problem is while most Christians say they are following Jesus, few take any actions to actually do it. Somewhere along the way, we have lost sight of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Almost unknowingly, we all have a tendency to redefine following him according to our own tastes, terms, preferences, and inclinations.
We have tragically minimized what it means to be his followers. Slowly, subtly, we dilute what he says about the cost of following him. We tend to take our following a little more lightly these days. Our modern-day definition of following Jesus looks very different than it did two thousand years ago. So, how do we define what it looks like to follow Jesus? You might be surprised to learn that the definition has not changed; to follow Jesus today looks the same as it did then. The call to follow Jesus is one that comes with great cost.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in his famous book, The Cost of Discipleship: “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.” It was said of Martin Luther that when he came to Christ he realized “this grace had cost him his very life, and must continue to cost him the same price day by day.” If we are going to follow Jesus we must be prepared to suffer with and for Him. It means that you are willing to lose your reputation; your standing; your position. Being a follower of Jesus might mean loss of family, job, and friends, or loss of possessions and dreams and goals. It means you are willing to lose everything for Jesus — even your life. Following Jesus costs everything.
Jesus in this passage says, “If you are My disciple, you love Me more than anything else. I want your total and undivided loyalty (v. 26). You’re ready to bear any trial or tribulation that comes your way in this life because you’re my follower (v. 27), and you will love Me more than anything else. You will love Me more than any material blessing (v. 33). There will be no stuff in this life that trumps your loyalty to Me.”
He’s describing here what a follower of Jesus should be, what His disciple should be like. That’s what He lived and died for to create — men and women and boys and girls from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation who value Him more than anything else in this world. He’s describing the kind of total commitment that He calls for from His followers. Christ now determines everything. You don’t determine anything about your life anymore. Christ determines it all.
He must be more important than our stuff (or belongings, properties, possessions), and that if He calls us to give up our stuff for Him, we must be in a position that we are ready to do that. Even if He does not call us to give up our stuff for Him, we must be possessed by Him and not by our possessions. And our stuff, our material possessions, must be subservient to His purposes in our lives. It’s a radically different way to look at Christianity and Jesus says consider the cost.
To truly follow Jesus Christ, we must consider the cost and put Him above everything else. This is what it means to be a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ. And He’s saying that “If you follow Me, it’s going to cost you. You’re going to have your own trials and tribulations that you’re going to have to take up, and if you follow Me, it’s going to cost you.” Jesus never lowered his standards or changed his conditions to make his call easier to accept.
He was not looking for spectators; He was calling for recruits (followers), and He knew that the only disciples who would go the distance with him were the ones who had counted the cost. Our Lord Jesus Christ would have us thoroughly understand this. He bids us count the cost.
Examine the Word
1. In Luke 14:26, 27, and 33, Jesus outlines conditions under which people “cannot be my disciple.” What are these conditions? What do these conditions have in common? Why do you think He uses such strong warnings in this text?
2. What two illustrations did Jesus give to point out the importance of “determining the cost” of following Him (Luke 14:28-32)? Compare these illustrations. How do they help people to seriously count the cost and decide to be Jesus’ disciples (Luke 14:33)?
3. According to this passage (Luke 14:25-33), what does Jesus say it will cost us to be his follower? What does this mean to us today? Is there a cost to following Jesus that you needed to be particularly reminded of?
Personal Application
- What comes before Christ in your life? Is it your family or friends? Is it convenience? Is it work or wealth? Is there any relationship that comes ahead of Christ in your life? What is more valuable to you than your relationship with Christ? You must repent where Christ is not first.
- If you consider yourself a follower of Jesus, how does this resonate with your current level of devotion and commitment to Him? What would this level of devotion that Jesus requires look like in your life? Consider the three areas that Jesus touches on: (1) Your closest relationships, (2) Your own life, and (3) Your possessions.
- Review the “cost of following Jesus” from this passage and consider how you are “living out” that cost. What adjustments might the Lord need to make in your life to better fulfill this character of a follower of Jesus?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I ask the grace of the Holy Spirit that I would live in such a way that I am wholly devoted to Christ. Would You help me as I submit myself to what You have taught me about what it actually means to follow Jesus, that the call to follow Jesus is one that comes with great cost? I ask that You would give me a certainty and a confidence, a courage to live these things out, to follow You sincerely, steadfastly, and passionately. By Your Spirit, help me to be wholly devoted and committed follower and disciple of the Lord Jesus. For this I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Prayer Items
NATIONPHILIPPINES: 10-POINT AGENDA (Points 3&4)
Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide our government on the following agenda for economic renewal and long-term growth.
3. Infrastructure Development: Build-Better-More program to improve critical infrastructure and advance digital connectivity across the country.
4. Fiscal Discipline: Improve efficiency and collection of taxes by the BIR and BOC. Prioritize targeted spending to manage debt and narrow budget deficit.
PHILIPPINES: Members of the Cabinet
Lift up to the Holy Spirit the specific work of each cabinet member. Pray for anointing to do the work.
- PUBLIC WORKS and HIGHWAYS SEC.: Manuel Bonoan
- LABOR and EMPLOYMENT SEC.: Bienvenido Laguesma
- SR. USEC. and OIC, NATIONAL DEFENSE: Jose Faustino Jr.
- OIC, HEALTH: Rosario Vergeire
- TRADE and INDUSTRY SEC.: Alfredo Pascual
- OIC, SOCIAL WELFARE and DEVELOPMENT: Eduardo Punay
- CHAIR, MMDA: Carlo Dimayuga III
FAMILY/HEALTH/PERSONAL BREAKTHROUGHS
Pray: Christ-centered relationships be the priority in every home- parents, children, husband and wife, other family members.
KBCF
47 YEARS – Pasalamatan ang Dios:
(Note: Hango sa “Apat na Dekada at Pitong Taon ng KBCF”)
- Sa napakayaman na kasaysayan.
- Sa samo’t saring karanasang dinaanan
- Sa laksang pagsubok na napagtagumpayan
- Sa marami-raming suliraning nalampasan
FOUR (4) PRIORITY AREAS FOR 2023 (Number 2)
Pray for the Holy Spirit to enable KBCF to pursue priority:
2. MOBILIZATION-EMPOWERING– Strengthen intentional connections, relationships and sense of community.
FOLLOW THROUGH ON CLEANSING, EDUCATING and EQUIPPING (CEE)
Pray for the Holy Spirit to enable KBCF to follow through its past efforts on CEE:
Holy Spirit to move among those who need restoration interventions related to spiritual, emotional, psychological and mental issues and brokenness.
KBCF Facilities
Thanksgiving for those God is using to improve the church grounds, worship hall and other areas for safe and comfortable face-to-face activities/gatherings.
