"Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple."
(Luke 14:25-27 ESV)
Are you willing to be a true disciple of Jesus and follow His example?
While salvation is a free gift, true discipleship has a cost. True disciples of Jesus must love Him more than anyone or anything else and must follow in His steps by living according to His example and teaching.
Jesus refers to His followers as “disciples.” A disciple is the student of a mentor or teacher and puts what has been learned into practice. Jesus is our Master Teacher and, as His disciples, we are called to apply His teachings to our daily lives and to extend what we have learned to others.
Jesus taught that in order to be true disciples, we must love Him supremely over all people and all things. When Jesus explained this, He did not mean that we should have hatred in our hearts toward our family or others. Instead, He was using hyperbole to magnify His point that our love for Him must be that much greater in comparison.
He also taught that we must bear our cross and follow after Him. If we truly follow after Jesus, we are sure to experience the same kind of opposition and persecution that He encountered when He was here on earth. This is the cross that we are to bear.
Jesus was a humble servant. He always put God first and the needs of others before His own. In imitation of His example, we too must put God first and serve others before ourselves. Instead of living self-centered lives, we must live Christ-centered lives. Everything we think, do, and say must be rooted in Christ so that we will reflect His Light and Love into the hearts and lives of those around us. By living according to His example and putting what He has taught us into practice, we will lead others to the same Savior we represent!
Jesus wants us to be sure to count the cost of becoming His disciples. He wants us to know exactly what we are committing to so that we will not be tempted to turn back later. Jesus wants to use us to build His Church and to continue His work. He wants us to have the endurance needed to be disciples who make disciples by spreading His Good News to the entire world.
• Are you willing to pay the cost of discipleship?
• Will you give Jesus first place in your heart?
• Will you put the needs of others before your own?
Let’s join together as disciples who make disciples and follow after Jesus!
Lord Jesus, it is our desire to follow after You. We love You first and foremost! We pray for the endurance to bear our cross daily and for the compassion and humility to serve the needs of others before ourselves. May our every thought, word, and deed be centered on You in imitation of the example You have set for us. In Your Holy Name we pray, Amen. †
(Luke 14:25-27 ESV)
Are you willing to be a true disciple of Jesus and follow His example?
While salvation is a free gift, true discipleship has a cost. True disciples of Jesus must love Him more than anyone or anything else and must follow in His steps by living according to His example and teaching.
Jesus refers to His followers as “disciples.” A disciple is the student of a mentor or teacher and puts what has been learned into practice. Jesus is our Master Teacher and, as His disciples, we are called to apply His teachings to our daily lives and to extend what we have learned to others.
Jesus taught that in order to be true disciples, we must love Him supremely over all people and all things. When Jesus explained this, He did not mean that we should have hatred in our hearts toward our family or others. Instead, He was using hyperbole to magnify His point that our love for Him must be that much greater in comparison.
He also taught that we must bear our cross and follow after Him. If we truly follow after Jesus, we are sure to experience the same kind of opposition and persecution that He encountered when He was here on earth. This is the cross that we are to bear.
Jesus was a humble servant. He always put God first and the needs of others before His own. In imitation of His example, we too must put God first and serve others before ourselves. Instead of living self-centered lives, we must live Christ-centered lives. Everything we think, do, and say must be rooted in Christ so that we will reflect His Light and Love into the hearts and lives of those around us. By living according to His example and putting what He has taught us into practice, we will lead others to the same Savior we represent!
Jesus wants us to be sure to count the cost of becoming His disciples. He wants us to know exactly what we are committing to so that we will not be tempted to turn back later. Jesus wants to use us to build His Church and to continue His work. He wants us to have the endurance needed to be disciples who make disciples by spreading His Good News to the entire world.
• Are you willing to pay the cost of discipleship?
• Will you give Jesus first place in your heart?
• Will you put the needs of others before your own?
Let’s join together as disciples who make disciples and follow after Jesus!
Lord Jesus, it is our desire to follow after You. We love You first and foremost! We pray for the endurance to bear our cross daily and for the compassion and humility to serve the needs of others before ourselves. May our every thought, word, and deed be centered on You in imitation of the example You have set for us. In Your Holy Name we pray, Amen. †
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