Luke 9:23-25

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Explanation:

It can be very easy when we live the Christian life to shift back and forth between a Spirit-filled lifestyle and a checklist lifestyle. A life that is led by the Holy Spirit is open and sensitive to the constant need to grow. A checklist life can sometimes produce an “I have arrived” mentality, where growth slows or ceases, and sometimes we can find ourselves unopen to the idea that Christ has much more to teach us. A Spirit-filled life produces growth because there is a clear understanding that each and every day, God provides us with opportunities to die…to put to death, to exterminate old behaviors and ways of thinking that are not pleasing to Him. Something must first die in order to be brought back to life by Christ in a new way that will be pleasing to Him. This isn’t just a checklist item to be completed once. As we read today, Jesus tells us that we must “take up our cross” or die to ourselves daily (emphasis added). By doing so, we are demonstrating that our relationship with Christ, and the calling He has placed on our lives, matters more than anything else.

Practically, this could mean an infinite number of things that each of us must ask God to reveal to us daily. For some, it may be ending relationships that don’t encourage you in your relationship with Christ. For some, it may be staying true and faithful in a marriage relationship and pursuing reconciliation, even when everything in you wants to bail. For some, it may mean saying no to the next big purchase, if it means that by doing so you can now be faithful in your tithes and offerings to God. For some, it may mean saying no to a hobby that keeps you consistently separated from your family that God has called you to love. Whatever your “cross” may be, God can show you daily. And you can be fully assured that the life God provides on the other side of it will be so much better.

Application:

1. What are some things God has called you to die to?

2. Why must it be a daily thing to die to God?

3. How have you ever seen checklist Christianity play out in your life?

4. How would you like to grow in how you are led by the Spirit daily?

5. What are you being called to die to today?

Prayer Starter:

Jesus, we look to You as our example of what it means to take up our cross daily. It’s Your sacrifice that drives us to understand that what God has for us on the other side of our own personal sacrifices is so much better than anything we can gain now. Help us, Holy Spirit, to not only see the things we need to die to, but starting this day, help us take the steps needed to die.

Devo Plus:

What do you think Jesus means when He says, “gains the whole world”?

Luke 14:25-33 (ESV)

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. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Explanation:

The first thing that should stand out to us in this passage is Luke’s use of the word “hate” in regard to family relations. This statement is meant to be shocking, but is not intended to lead us toward disdain for our family members. Rather, this is a statement of choice and priority. Jesus wants His disciples to be keenly aware of the demand on those who would follow Him. For the disciple, the priority is always loyalty to Jesus…even over familial relations and one’s own desires.

Jesus continues by saying that “because the cost is so great,” we need to consider our willingness to pay that cost ahead of time. He doesn’t want us to walk into the relationship simply focused on the benefits, without understanding the true cost of following Him.

He concludes the passage by driving home the thought once again, that if we are not willing to choose Jesus over everything, we will not be able to be His disciples.

Application:

1. What is one thing that stands out to you in today’s passage?

2. How does this “one thing” play out in the situations you are facing today? Does it lead you to do something? Or stop doing something?

3. Jesus’s demand seems high. How do you reconcile grace with the cost of discipleship?

4. Is there an area of your life where you keep Jesus off limits? Do you recognize situations where it is difficult to see your loyalty to Jesus play out?

5. How will you surrender those things over to Him?

Prayer Starter:

Jesus, the demand You put on us is high. You expect complete and utter loyalty to You. It’s a surrender that is difficult, yet one where You meet us in with grace, understanding, and patience. Help us to trust that as You require more of us, You give more to us. Even though it will cost us our very selves to follow You, what we receive in return is far greater than the autonomy to live life how we want. Help us to surrender to You. Amen.

Devo Plus:

For more thoughts on the cost of discipleship and how grace plays into it, here are some quotes to consider.

“Grace is not opposed to effort. It is opposed to earning. Effort is action. Earning is attitude. You have never seen people more active than those who have been set on fire by the grace of God.” Dallas Willard (Live Life To The Full, Christian Herald (UK), April 14, 2001, http://www.dwillard.org/articles/individual/live-life-to-the-full)

“Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work. I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desire you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked – the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you myself; my own will shall become yours.” C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity, p. 167)

Matthew 13:44-46 (ESV)

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Explanation:

In the above verses from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is talking with His disciples and telling them about the kingdom of God (or heaven). Heaven is a special place that God has designed for His people to live, worship, and commune with Him for all eternity. In God’s kingdom, no pain or tears will be anymore. Joy, love, and peace will reign forever.

As a believer in Jesus, His disciples must make sacrifices and decide if they want to submit their lives to Him. In the great commission, Jesus tells His disciples to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Christ-like disciples (Christians) should be God’s voice on earth. They should be declaring the message of salvation to all, while submitting their own wants to God. Seeking the Father in prayer, making wise decisions, and being a reflection of Jesus for the world are just some of the discipleship processes.

As a disciple of Jesus, we want to direct unbelievers to the saving grace of Jesus, but occasionally this can be difficult or intimidating. There is a cost of giving up certain earthly desires and wants, but the reward of knowing Jesus and being in the Holy Spirit’s presence far outweighs anything this world can offer. Heaven’s treasures are indescribable, but right now we can share God’s love and generosity for His people while we wait.

Application:

1. When becoming a disciple of Jesus, you may feel tension with family or friends, or even be excluded from gatherings. How can you use this to further the message of Jesus to the people in your life?

2. Often times, judgment from others for our actions and decisions are part of the struggle of following Jesus. Yet we don’t want to be a stumbling block to others. What are some precautions or choices you can make today not to seem like a hypocrite to others?

3. How has following Jesus changed your life, and what would you tell others who are beginning the process of discovering who Jesus is?

4. When you think about the kingdom of God, what are you looking forward to the most?

Prayer Starter:

Heavenly Father, You are so amazing! Thank You for loving me and calling me to be a disciple. Help me to share who You are to my family and friends. Give me the strength and courage to proclaim the Gospel to others so they can know who You are. I want boldness when I share my testimony with people I meet. I pray that as Christians, we can stand up for what we believe in, but do it with humility, gentleness, love, and respect. I look forward to the day I can rest in Your presence and hear Your words, “well done.” Thank you, Jesus!

Devo Plus:

Take a minute and reflect on what heaven will be like. Think about creation and the wonders we can experience right now, and know it is only a glimpse of what God can create for all eternity. Read Revelation 22:1-5.

Romans 6:3-4 (NLT)

Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

Explanation:

Sin’s power is broken! Paul says here that when a person trusts in Christ for salvation, that person is baptized in the Holy Spirit into Christ's death. We die with Him. This death breaks sin's rule over us, and frees us from our need to obey our sinful desires.

What a life-giving thought these verses illustrate. They explain sanctification, which simply means the change God makes in our lives as we grow in the faith. The minute we confess our sins and begin to follow Him, the process of making us new begins. The availability of grace must not become an excuse for careless living and moral laziness. Sin is serious...Jesus paid with His life so we could be forgiven.

Application:

1. Have you ever had a horrible fight with someone you love, realized you were in the wrong, then they forgave you...and you believed they forgave you? It is exhilarating, isn’t it? When that load lifts, when that ache stops, when that peace floods your heart, you feel lighter in life! This is exactly the situation we are in with our sin. Once we confess it and Jesus forgives it, the power of that grace is intoxicating. It is fuel for overcoming. The closeness you feel with Jesus elevates your heart in a way that changes your desires and longings. When your desires and longings change, your actions change. Do you enjoy this exciting process?

2. Do you love the smell of new? My husband loves the smell of a new car. I love the smell of a new baby. And last year, I got a new knee. What would you love to spiritually feel totally new in?

3. Don’t limit God. He makes everything new by renewal through His Holy Spirit, and brings life where there once was death. In college, I had a friend who had given her heart to Jesus after living a promiscuous life. She longed to be made new in her sexuality and prayed for that miracle. God gave my friend her heart’s desire, and she physically, mentally, and spiritually felt new when she gave herself in marriage to her husband. No area is off limits for God to heal and renew. He can touch the deepest shame with His love, and redeem and restore whatever you put in His hands. What do you need to give Him?

Prayer Prompt:

Meditate on the words of this old hymn and let the words be your prayer today:

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;

I want Thee forever to live in my soul;

Break down every idol, cast out every foe—

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain:

Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow,

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, let nothing unholy remain,

Apply Thine own blood and extract every stain;

To get this blest cleansing, I all things forego—

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, look down from Thy throne in the skies,

And help me to make a complete sacrifice;

I give up myself, and whatever I know—

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat,

I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet,

By faith for my cleansing, I see thy blood flow—

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, Thou seest I patiently wait;

Come now and within me a new heart create;

To those who have sought Thee Thou never said’st “No”—

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

The blessing by faith, I receive from above;

Oh, glory! my soul is made perfect in love;

My prayer has prevailed, and this moment I know,

The blood is applied, I am whiter than snow.

Devo Plus:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV)

1 Peter 1:3-4 (NLT)

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance-an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

Explanation:

Now more than ever, I’ve seen and heard people commenting that they are “just tired.” We are a broken creation, and we see constant reminders of how frail we really are. Peter has an awesome reminder for us as we struggle with our emotions; we have an inheritance awaiting us. Because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, we have hope for eternal life that is free of pain, struggle, and tiredness.

Peter leaves us with an important reminder. Because of the “great mercy” shown to us, we can have a new and abundant life. Our hope begins with salvation and endures through all of the trouble. Hope comes with the promise that through our faith and consistently following Jesus, we will be delivered.

If you’re one of the people who are “just tired” during this crazy season, allow the words of today’s scripture to speak to your heart. You have a living hope that endures through these troubles and gives you the strength to overcome!

Application:

1. How does this scripture renew you today?

2. What does “living hope” mean to you? Are there barriers that you have allowed to stand in the way of that promise?

Prayer Starter:

Spend some time today thanking God for His promise of living hope. Reflect on the many blessings He has provided for you, and the promise of eternal life with Him.

Devo Plus:

Dig into the Word a little more to read about our living hope through Jesus’s sacrifice. Read John 3:3-8, Romans 5:15-21, and Ephesians 2:6-10.

John 3:1-8 (NLT)

There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

Explanation:

As a member of the Jewish council, Nicodemus risks his reputation with this secret meeting, and Jesus does not disappoint his expectation to learn who Christ really is. Notice after the opening remark, Jesus answers a question that Nicodemus didn’t even ask. There is not one story in the New Testament where Jesus doesn’t cut to the chase and address the greatest need of His listeners.

With child-like wonder, Nicodemus asks how this second birth is possible. Jesus makes it clear the Holy Spirit initiates rebirth, not man, and that process begins in everyone just as it did in Nicodemus—with a prompting of the heart to know more about Jesus.

To simplify a supernatural truth, Jesus explains that the work of the Holy Spirit cannot be seen any more than we can see the wind. But the result of the Holy Spirit’s work is just as evident in the life of a born-again believer as the visible effects of a gentle breeze across a field of grain.

Application:

1. It is the Holy Spirit who initiates the salvation process in our hearts. How should this truth affect our prayers for the unsaved in this world?

2. Our lives should provide evidence that the Holy Spirit lives in us. How should this truth affect our daily interactions with the unsaved in this world?

3. It is important to note the phrase Jesus uses of “being born of water and the Spirit” is not a reference to baptism. While baptism is a crucial step of obedience after we are saved, it is not a requirement to accept Christ as our Savior. Read Ezekiel 36:25-27 for the proper context.

Prayer Starter:

Ask God to make you sensitive to the opportunities you have every day to give evidence of the life-changing work the Holy Spirit is doing in you.

Devo Plus:

Read John 7:50-52 and 19:39-42 to see the impact Jesus had on Nicodemus’s life.

When we first begin our Christian journey, God makes us new. We have a new goal and a new focus. We no longer live for ourselves, instead we live for God and His purpose. We are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). But I think we often forget that this truth is the same even as we continue our walk. God is continually making us new, and I can say this with confidence because I have seen it happen in my own life.

A few years ago, as I walked into one of the greatest storms I had ever walked through, I did not realize I needed God to do something new in my life. I was comfortable. I liked where my life was and wanted to stay there for a bit. But God had something else in mind. He knew I needed to change. I needed a refresh, a restart. I needed to be made new.

As I reflect and look back, I am in awe of what God was able to do through that storm. I didn’t recognize it at the time, but I needed God to make some big changes in me. I needed to grow in my faith, I needed to find love and acceptance through Him, I needed to overcome some negative tendencies I had in my life. I didn’t recognize it at the time, but now I am thankful. I needed to become more like Him. I am more comfortable in my own skin. I’m more on fire for God and His Word. I’m confident in who He has designed me to be. My marriage is better, my parenting has improved, and it is all because God led me through a fire that changed my life. He wanted to do something new in me. And my constant prayer is that I will always have a heart that wants to be made new, day by day, moment by moment. I don’t want it to take a devastating season to turn my direction toward Him. Every day of my life, I want to have a heart that says, “God, will You continually make me new.”

God wants to create something new in you. If you are in the middle of a storm, I can promise you, if you allow Him, God will do something amazing in your life. He will create a new and better version of you. And if you aren’t in the middle of a storm, take a moment to ask God what He wants to do in you. He wants to make you new, to change you and help you become more like Him.

Prayer:

God, may we always have a soft heart that wants to grow and learn. We want You to continually make us new. Change us, mold us, and help us to become more like You. We know it is often a hard process, but we are confident You will be with us every step of the way. Teach us and change us from the inside out. Thank You for pursuing us and helping us become more like You. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen!

Genesis 2:7 (ESV)

Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Explanation:

Today’s passage is nestled within the second creation narrative that Genesis gives us. God takes dust from the earth (ada-ma in Hebrew) and forms man (a-dam in Hebrew, notice the similarities between earth and man). God gives humanity shape, yet at this point adam (man) is still simply a lump of clay, another piece of earth in the landscape of God’s creation. It was God’s breath (nis-mat, a word also used for spirit in certain occasions) that gave Adam life. Adam was created as part of God’s creation, in God’s image, with God’s breath.

This imagery should not be lost on us. Fallen (lifeless) man receives new life by God’s Spirit dwelling in him, so that he can return to being the image of God. The Spirit working in a believer’s life is what initiates, sustains, and completes the new life we have in Christ. A new life that brings hope for freedom from sin and the life of abundance Jesus calls us to.

Application:

1. What is one thing that stands out to you in today’s text?

2. How has the Spirit helped you become the person Jesus called you to be? Think through examples of how your life has changed because of Jesus.

3. Have you ever been at the end of your rope, and felt like the Spirit gave you a different way of viewing the situation or gave you a way out of the situation? How did trusting God in that moment breathe life into you?

Prayer Starter:

Jesus, please breathe new life into us. Just as we physically live on the breath You gave us, let us live in new life based on Your Spirit filling us. Thank You for forgiving us and leading us into new ways of thinking and new ways of living, and giving us new hope that we can bear Your image.

Devo Plus:

Read Ephesians 4:17-32.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 (ESV)

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

Explanation:

If you have ever done any gardening or planting, you probably have seen the effects of dryness. Most often, when dryness exists in planting, plants also struggle to exist. Consequently, one must do away with the dryness in order to revive the plants once again. It can be an amazing thing to watch a dry, failing plant be revived again after a little watering. One day it’s a sad, droopy, wilted, lack-luster looking thing, and the next day, after it has received watering, it perks up and starts to show signs of life again (that is, if it is not already too far gone). All because it was given some water, an essential ingredient in making all plants thrive.

As we read from today’s passage, there is an essential ingredient in the life of all God’s children, that if left without will lead to a life of complete dryness. Not a physical dryness, but a spiritual dryness. A spiritually dry life can look a number of different ways, but in essence, it’s a life void of the presence of God. This presence for our lives is like water to a plant. It is undeniably essential to keep something alive.

At the time that God asked Ezekiel to prophesy these things over the Israelites, they were in exile in Babylon. As one commentary puts it, “The exile was more than just a crisis of physical suffering and communal identity. It also necessitated the crisis of faith.” Meaning, they were greatly lacking the essential presence of God in their lives. Although God’s people were in a season of discipline because of their rejection of Him, God’s love for them remained steadfast. He wanted, as He always does, to restore His relationship with them, this time in a very powerful way. God wanted to bring His very presence back to them again, so they would know He was God and pursue a relationship with Him. God wanted to water His people with His presence and revive them from the dry condition they resided in. What love God has for His people!

Questions:

1. Describe a time when you have found yourself in a spiritually dry season.

2. Why were you spiritually dry in that season?

3. What have you learned from today’s reading that can encourage you in any dry season?

Prayer Starter:

God, I thank You for being so gracious to share Your Spirit with me. I need Your presence in my life. Whenever I am spiritually dry in my life, will You remind me to seek Your presence?

Devo Plus:

Read Ezekiel 37:1-14 again. Israel thought they were cut off from God, but how did God plan to restore them? How do these truths apply to your life?

2 Kings 13:20-21 (ESV)

So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

Explanation:

Let me give you a little background before we jump into what happens here in this crazy story. Elisha was a prophet of God. His ministry involved bringing healing and peace to the people of Israel. He performed many signs and miracles, and even after his death had one more miracle to perform.

A group of men were in the process of burying another man who had died, when they see a group of robbers coming toward them. In fear, they toss the dead man into the grave of Elisha…and that man is brought to life. He lives. Can you imagine how that dead man must have felt? Talk about a crazy experience.

As I sit here and read this story, my mind is baffled. Why in the world is this in the Bible? What lesson is God trying to teach us? I believe it is a reminder to us that there is nothing God can’t do. He can make new life out of anything. He can restore brokenness. He can heal sickness. He can restore what once was destroyed. He can bring dead things back to life. There is nothing our God cannot do.

Application:

1. What was your first reaction to this story?

2. Why do you think God included this story in the Bible?

3. What does this story say about God’s character?

Prayer Starter:

God, we thank You for the stories we read in the Bible. Thank You for including this story to remind us that there is nothing You can’t do. You can restore what is broken. You can bring life into dead things. You alone have the power to make things new, You alone have the power to do anything in our lives. May we always remember this. May we always remember that You are holy, You are mighty, and nothing is impossible with You. Thank You for this reminder today. In Your name we pray. Amen.

Devo Plus:

Take some time today and listen to the Song “Rattle” by Elevation Worship. Allow it to remind you that God can revive and restore anything.