My Daily Pause

Ahab and Jehoshaphat tried to change the word of God, just like the people of the world are today. Ahab tried to have his own desires forced on God, but then attempted to hide when he realized it wasn’t going to work out for him. (2 Chronicles 18, 1 Kings 22)

The things God has deemed as sinful will still be counted as sins on the judgment day no matter how much society tries to convinces us of the  contrary.

Have you ever wondered how Jesus must have felt when Peter denied him three times? (Luke 22:54-62)

Do you suppose he feels the same way when we don’t talk about him when given an opportunity?

Luke 17:7-10 is a small bit of Scripture that carries a lot of weight in one’s Christian walk. The temptation is to be satisfied with checking off all of God’s commandments, avoiding the top 10 sins and mostly just getting by. Jesus calls that self-satisfied feeling into check by comparing it to the servant expecting a big reward for just doing his job.

This is what Jesus was telling us:

Our next question to God should be, “What can I do for You now?”

In Luke 15, Jesus used a few parables to illustrate how much joy in heaven there is over returning a lost soul. (Luke 15:7, Luke 15:10, Luke 15:32) For the faithful, a place is prepared and waiting for the day to come. In the meantime, their focus should be on finding those that are lost, celebrating when they are found, and being careful to not fall in the trap of the Prodigal Son’s brother. (Luke 15:29-30)

“Counting the cost” almost seems like a cliché. Jesus wants his followers to understand that following him means forsaking all else. He expects us to put him first in our lives.

As acceptable as it has recently become to speak ill against a Christian, the reality of “counting the cost” is going to become very real to some people. (Luke 14:25-33). Just in case you are one of them, challenge yourself to be prepared for the opportunity to stand up for Christ!