+DEV+ Jesus Bids Us Come And Die

Date: June 11, 2013 10:12 PM
Topic: +DEV+  Jesus Bids Us Come And Die

Jesus Bids Us Come And Die

"He said..., 'Follow Me.' But the man replied, 'Lord, first let me go and bury my father.' Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.'" (Luke 9:59-60)
Scripture Focus: Luke 9:57-62

Three young men come to Jesus with a sincere interest in becoming disciples. Rather than have them bow their heads, say a sinner's prayer, and get on with His kingdom program, Jesus calls for an "all in" faith or "no faith" at all. These are words worth our consideration today.

One man seems willing to follow Jesus wherever He goes as long as that does not involve sleeping under the stars with no place to lay his head. Another man seems willing to follow but asks if he could first go and tend to his father's funeral. A third man wants to go home and say "goodbye" to his family before he leaves to follow the Lord. Is Jesus against featherbeds, funerals and farewells?

The answer is "NO!" What Jesus is against is a half-hearted, lukewarm, I'll-get-around-to-it kind of faith. As Dietrich Bonheoffer put it, "Jesus bids us come and die!" He lets us know there is no turning back. Follow the One who never turned back when He went to the cross in your place. He did come and die, all so that we might live!

Insight: We tend to think we are giving up so much to follow Jesus; in reality to die in and for Christ is great gain!




Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.