He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.   Psalm 1:3 In the very first Psalm, we find a tremendous word picture of what a Christian life is to be. The…

Whom Do You Love The Most? 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 carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  …

No Excuses When it comes to following Jesus, there really are no excuses. Contrary to what we might hear in today’s culture, Jesus leaves no room for us to think that following Him is anything less than complete dedication and loyalty to the gospel and to the kingdom of God. Today’s passage gives us a…

Loving God And Being Ashamed Of Christ? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.   Luke 9:26 In our sports-driven culture, it’s difficult to go anywhere these…

Chasing After The Wrong Things? For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?        Luke 9:24-25 In today’s…

Following Jesus Means Sacrifice And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”     Luke 9:23 It’s not an obscure message in today’s culture…the notion that excellence, in a particular sector of life, requires sacrifice. We…

Getting Our Priorities Straight He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his…

Loyalty To Christ Will Bring Division Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will…

The Proof Is In Our Mouths Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33 As we move through life, we will encounter many different…

Our Worth In Jesus So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. Matthew 10:31 Before we can begin to prioritize Christ in our lives, we must make sure that we truly belong to Him. This happens only when we enter into a personal relationship with Jesus by being born again. But before…