Daily Devotional : BE!
Day 19: Be a Follower of Jesus
Luke 14 [1599 Geneva Bible]
1 And it came to pass that when he was entered into the house of one of the chief Pharisees on the Sabbath day, to eat bread, they watched him.
2 And behold, there was a certain man before him, which had the dropsy.
3 Then Jesus answering, spake unto the Lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?
4 And they held their peace. Then he took him, and healed him, and let him go,
5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass, or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath day?
6 And they could not answer him again to those things.
7 ¶ He spake also a parable to the guests, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms, and said unto them,
8 When thou shalt be bidden of any man to a wedding, set not thyself down in the chiefest place, lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him,
9 And he that bade both him and thee, come, and say to thee, Give this man room, and thou then begin with shame to take the lowest room.
10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room, that when he that bade thee, cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, sit up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at table with thee.
11 For whosoever exalteth himself, shall be brought low, and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted.
12 ¶ Then said he also to him that had bidden him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor the rich neighbors, lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee.
13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind,
14 And thou shalt be blessed, because they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
15 ¶ Now when one of them that sat at table heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that eateth bread in the kingdom of God.
16 Then said he to him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many,
17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come: for all things are now ready.
18 But they all with one mind began to make excuse: The first said unto him, I have bought a farm, and I must needs go out and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
21 So that servant returned, and showed his master these things. Then was the good man of the house angry, and said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
23 Then the master said to the servant, Go out into the highways, and hedges, and compel them to come in, that mine house may be filled.
24 For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden, shall taste of my supper.
25 Now there went great multitudes with him, and he turned and said unto them,
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters: yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
27 And whosoever beareth not his cross, and cometh after me, cannot be my disciple.
28 For which of you minding to build a tower, sitting not down before, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to perform it,
29 Lest that after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to perform it, all that behold it, begin to mock him,
30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to make an end.
31 Or what King going to make war against another King, sitteth not down first, and taketh counsel, whether he be able with ten thousand, to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else while he is yet a great way off, he sendeth an embassage, and desireth peace.
33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you, that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
34 Salt is good: but if salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted?
35 It is neither meet for the land, nor yet for the dunghill, but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
Key: I learn from these Scriptures that to follow Jesus is not always easy, but it is necessary for our salvation.
Sometimes the journey with Jesus brings criticism and even persecution, as Jesus experiences here in regard to healing a person on the Sabbath Day.
Sometimes, it comes with learning new things that take us out of our comfort zone, as it was for the host of the banquet, and his guests.
Sometimes it requires that we count the cost, to see if we are willing to walk away from what we have, to gain that which is better.
Sometimes it cost reputation, job, family, and lifestyle — but it is worth the cost, because God replaces what we walk away from with something far better.
Sometimes walking with Jesus even brings war between people groups and nations, and these armies need wise counsel and strategy in order to obtain the victory over the enemies of God.
Whatever the cost, Jesus calls that our cross, and we are asked to take up that cross, and follow Him.
I find it interesting that the three people who were invited gave the excuse that they couldn’t come at dinner time. It begs the question, who does that even in their own home — they would have had to eat anyhow. It is clear that they were not interested to begin with. One had a farm, another had farm animals, and another a wife. None of these things, ordinarily, would stop anyone from accepting an invitation to a lavish banquet given by a King.
But I believe God is making the point here that it is absolutely absurd to turn down an invitation from Jesus to come and eat with Him. And yet some do.
So I invite you today, if you haven't already said yes to your invitation from the King of kings — please do. Nothing on earth is that important to turn Him down, and make excuses for not coming when invited.
