Read Luke 14
Luke 14 begins
with Jesus dining in the home of a Pharisee on the Sabbath. He brings up a
topic that most dinner guests would not venture into with these Pharisees. He
asks, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” (v 3). As the Pharisees were
unable to respond, Jesus took the opportunity to teach the other guests, while
rebuking the Pharisees. First He talked about humility. “Everyone who exalts
himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (v 11).
Then Jesus taught that it its best to give expecting nothing back (v 12-14).
Next he shares the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, indicating that we must
respond correctly to Jesus now before it is too late (v 15-24). Each of these
topics was an area where the Pharisees failed regularly. Then Jesus turned to
His disciples to give them special teaching. He talked about how our love for
Him should be so great that, in comparison, it makes our love for others seem
like hate (v 26). He says those who are wise will count the cost of following
Him before beginning their journey (v 28-32). He teaches that we must give up
our own rights and not become attached to anything (v 33). We must be willing
to give anything required of us to follow Jesus. He will settle for nothing
less than everything.
Journaling and Prayer
1. Jesus commands us to count the cost of following
Him (v 28-32). He does not want half-hearted followers. He does not want people
who give up when it is too hard. He wants followers who have looked at what a
devoted Christian life could cost them and recognize that any loss is nothing
in comparison to walking intimately with Jesus. Spend some time counting the
cost of following Jesus in your own life. Is there anything you’ve lost as a
result of following Him? (If not, you should question how seriously you are
actually following Him). What could you potentially lose?
2. Make a list of everything you have learned about
Jesus while reading through the Gospel of Luke. Aim for five to ten points.
Spend some time praising Him for each of these points. As you meditate on this,
pray that this intimacy with Jesus would be far more important to you than the
things you might lose for following Him. Ask that your love for Him would grow
more and more each day.
3. Pray for the Church in Canada. Many believers
have not counted the cost of following Jesus. This has resulted in a lukewarm,
half-hearted Church that gives a poor testimony to our nation. Pray that Jesus
would purify His bride, the Church, and draw her lovingly into a wholehearted
relationship with Him. Pray that people would come to know God in His love,
holiness, mercy and justice. Pray that the Church would stand to fight against
injustice and to love those in need. Pray that Canadians would walk away from
empty religion and, in its place, embrace a pure faith in Jesus.
