Declaration: I am a FOLLOWER of Jesus!
Luke 9:23
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.
Key Bible Verses: Luke 9:23; Ephesians 2:8-10
Luke 9:23
23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.
Ephesians 2:8-10
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Devotion
The decision to follow Jesus changes your eternity.
The commitment to becoming a disciple changes your life.
Long before kids, my wife and I actually went on vacations together! Years ago we went on a cruise and stopped in Montego Bay, Jamaica. As we walked off the ship I was overwhelmed with markets and tents everywhere with all of these handmade items for sale. Along with the occasional offer of some great weed, we were handed items from the locals. They’d say, “Here, my man. This is for you. Give to your girl.” I was like, “Aw, so cool. Thanks, man.” Then he’d walk up behind me a few steps later saying, “Hey man, that’s $20.” Slick. I handed it back to him. After about the third time, I realized their sales tactics. Give something for free, demand a price later.
Unfortunately, I feel like following Jesus gets lumped into the “Jamaican flea-market” stereotype. If I decide to follow Jesus now, what’s it going to cost me later?
Let me be clear: You can’t pay for what God has freely given you in Christ.
Ephesians 2:8-9 declares, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.
Through faith – by grace – God saved.
Your decision through faith in Jesus as the son of God who died on the cross to forgive you of your sins and give you a new life in Him has forever changed your eternity. Welcome to Heaven.
But there’s more. Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
I get it — feels like I handed you a free gift and just followed up with, “Hey my man, that costs $20.”
The reality of the grace and goodness of God is the fact that you can take His free gift, transform your life, and begin to live for and serve Him. Your greatest fulfillment will be found in transitioning from what God has done for you through your decision to what you can do for God through being His disciple.
Decision = Get. Disciple = Give.
Your best life is found in discipleship. God didn’t just give you a gift. He gave you an opportunity to live out that gift daily in ways that will change your life forever.
Discipline: Incorporate a daily prayer of submission and discipleship into your life.
Jesus said to deny yourself, take up your cross, and daily follow Him. My daily discipleship prayer goes something like this:
Lord, let my mind think only of you. Let my eyes only look at things that glorify you. Let my lips only speak of things that honor you. Let my ears only listen to things that build you up. Let my heart only long for things that exalt you. Let my hands only do your work. Let my feet only lead me to places you want me to be. I submit my life to you. Strengthen me to be a great follower of you today.