He said to another man, “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

Many of the hours that melt off the clock fall victim to procrastination. “I know I should resolve that issue, but it’ll just have to wait until tomorrow.” “I need to complete that task, but I’ll wait until my TV shows are over.” There are many important things we know we should do, yet we put them off in our effort to buy more time.  No matter how much we try, we will never be able to buy more time. It’s not for sale…especially when it comes to eternal matters. One of the biggest things people procrastinate is their decision to follow Jesus. They tighten their grasp on the things of this world and tell God, “Wait until I’m finished having a good time. Then, I’ll follow you.” 

Jesus knew the dangers of procrastination. He invited a man to follow him, but the man hesitated and procrastinated with an excuse. There will always be a reason not to act. There will always be a reason to put off the decision. But you will never overcome procrastination until the benefit of moving forward is worth more to you than the cost of staying put.  There is no better benefit to pushing back from the table of procrastination than following Jesus. He came from heaven to give us life—not only here on earth but also eternally with him. We are not truly living until we have decided to follow him. Don’t let a life full of procrastination keep you from living the best life ever!

Lord, thank you for coming from heaven to give us life. Search my heart and my life, and get rid of anything that will keep me from following you. Help me to stop procrastinating and start living a life that’s pleasing to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”  Luke 9:57-58

Do you wonder what must have been going through the mind of the man who made that pledge to follow Jesus wherever he went? This guy must have thought following Jesus would be a piece of cake! But Jesus knew that once he explained the weight of that commitment, the man would have second thoughts.  Jesus did not have an extravagant lifestyle. He didn’t live in a gated community or ride the latest Bentley chariot. He didn’t even have the security of constant food and shelter. All he had was a commitment to his Father that he would live out the principles he taught as he prepared to save the world. 

Following God comes with a cost. Jesus counted the cost by leaving his comfortable place in heaven and paid the ultimate price by sacrificing his life. We, too, will have to sacrifice our life. We will have to sacrifice going to some places. We will have to sacrifice doing certain things. But every sacrifice you make for Christ has a greater reward than anything money can buy.  Jesus made unbelievable sacrifices to carry out his commitment to God. Are you willing to do the same? God is calling each of our names to come join the winning team. Will you answer the call?

Lord, I want to answer the call today. Help me to take those steps toward a life that is more pleasing to you. I love you, and I am willing to make the sacrifices necessary to follow you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“‘Come,’ he said.  Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!'”  Matthew 14:29-30

 A while back, I opened my daily devotion and the theme verse was the passage above.  When I first began reading I thought, “Oh, I know this passage backwards and forwards:  Peter stepping out onto the stormy waves. A great story of faith and keeping focused on Christ.”  But in this particular devotion, there was a different focus.  The key word used was “reckless.”  It explained we are to be reckless in our faith – not habitual, not routine, not guarded.  Reckless.

Out of curiosity, I looked up the definition of reckless: Utterly unconcerned about the consequences of some action; without caution. If you ask me, reckless doesn’t sound like a good thing!  When it comes to acting without caution, usually the consequences are negative, resulting in pain and problems that could have been avoided had common sense been used.  

 But when it comes to our faith, acting without caution is an awesome quality. Reckless faith is…Living out loud for God, regardless of the consequences.  Opening ourselves up to be Christ’s hands and feet in situations where most people close themselves off.   Reaching people others have deemed unreachable.
Loving those who are not very lovable and do not return our love.  Forgiving when forgiveness is not justifiable by the world’s standards and making others wonder if we have our head on straight.

 Changing direction in life because God called us to even if it doesn’t make sense.   Reckless faith is being abandoned for Christ, completely surrendered to Him without restraint, and at peace with the consequences of what might happen.  Peter was reckless in earthly terms.  He jumped onto the sea during a raging storm without a flotation device, into waves big enough to capsize his boat.  However, if you think about it, it really wasn’t Peter’s earthly actions that were reckless; it was Peter’s spiritual faith.
He had reckless faith: Without thinking, without distress over consequences, without anxiety over what might happen, and without concern for what his friends might think, Peter had faith.

Peter had reckless faith.  And we can too!  Reckless faith means doing what God has called us to do, commanded us to do, and prompted us to do – because it brings Him glory. Those who witnessed Peter’s reckless faith didn’t ooh and aah over Peter.  Instead, like Peter, they fixed their eyes on Jesus.  “Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God'” Matthew 14:33.

There are a few times in my life when I’ve exhibited reckless faith, and found God blessed me immensely as a result. Unfortunately, there are many more times I’ve chosen to remain safely in my boat.  It is so much easier to stay afloat in the safety of our comfort zone than to step out into stormy waters, putting all of our trust in Christ.

Reckless faith requires a vibrant and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.  When we climb from the safety boat and exhibit that, we spur those still in their boats to fix their own eyes on Him, and worship the Son of God.
How is God calling you to be reckless for Him today?

Dear Lord, truly You are the Son of God. I know You have called me to reckless faith, but it is hard to step out. Infuse me with courage to climb out of my boat in whatever way You have called me to. Please help me hear You and give me bravery to move beyond my comfort zone. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.  John 16:13-14 

Have you ever been on a site-seeing tour without a guide? You may be able to see all the sites, but the tour would be greatly enhanced if you were with someone who knew the ins and outs of your excursion.  On the tour of life, Christ-followers have access to the ultimate Guide who steers us to the truth of God’s Word. And he changes our mediocre life, by highlighting the areas we need to pay more attention to.  One of those opportunities is found in serving. Jesus served people everywhere he went, whether it was teaching, healing or dying for our sins. And each of our lives is filled with opportunities to serve others as well. 

What do you do when those opportunities present themselves? Is your response that of a servant? I challenge you to put other people’s interests before your own. When you do, you will experience God, and life, like you never have before.

 

Lord, thank you for sending us the Holy Spirit to guide us in our lives. As he presents opportunities for me to serve, I will take advantage of them so that I can influence the lives of those around me just as Christ did. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.  Ephesians 6:7-8

You will be hard-pressed to find someone who will do something for nothing. People say things like, “You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.” “If you hook me up with this, I’ll hook you up with that.” It’s all about the payback.  God’s economy doesn’t work that way. He doesn’t want us to give just to get; he doesn’t want us to serve just because of what we’ll receive in return.  Serving is all about placing other people’s needs before your own. And when you do that humbly and with a pure heart, it allows God to work through you to touch the lives of others in a supernatural way. 

Serving selflessly is not easy. Each time you serve, there will be an internal conflict with the other things in life that are vying for your time. God will not force you to serve him or those around you. We have to make that choice on our own. But when you choose to give your time in service as God has designed, your rewards will be unimaginable. 

Lord, give me a servant’s heart. It’s easy to for me to focus on my own needs, but I know you have placed people in my life who have needs that I can meet. Help me to place others’ needs before my own as I strive to live the life that Jesus modeled for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Jesus said, “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:20

For centuries, theologians and philosophers have grappled with the problem of human suffering. Some regard suffering as a consequence of sin — an explanation that cannot be dismissed entirely, for the Bible tells us, “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow” Gal. 6:7. Others believe suffering can come as a test of faith, and the Bible suggests that this can also be true, as in the case of Job. And the Bible tells us that at times suffering may be a learning experience, with God as our benevolent teacher Heb. 5:8 and 12:7-11.

I have had to conclude, however, that often we cannot find an acceptable reason for suffering. Too frequently, suffering just doesn’t make sense and accomplishes no good that we can see: A baby is born seriously deformed. A mother dies of breast cancer. An airplane crashes, killing scores of passengers.

Yet through it all — however heavy our burdens, no matter what our tribulations or anguish — we have the promise that in our times of suffering nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord Rom. 8:35-39. With this assurance, we can find consolation and courage to move forward in faith, knowing that this world is not our home and trusting that someday the mysteries of life will be explained.

In our times of disappointment and despair, O God, may we feel your presence and find strength in your word. Amen.

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.  Mark 1:40-42 

Being involved with various service projects can be an exciting thing. Yet, often times our involvement becomes just another notation on our “To-Do” list. Serving food at the shelter can become a mundane ritual and helping out with the children’s ministry at the local church can become just another job to do, if we lose our passion for serving.   

Jesus performed miracles and acts of service for countless numbers of needy people. He could have let monotony set in and think of those people as “just another person with just another need.” But Jesus never allowed that to happen. He continually served with passion. 

When you develop a passion for the people around you, it creates a desire in you to make a bigger investment in their life. You begin to personally care whether or not their needs are met. Passion will encourage you to walk in their shoes, go that extra mile and give beyond expectations. Passion will also help you persevere as you stand beside those who are needy, allowing them to lean on your strength. And passion is what allows you to celebrate their victory with a joy that only God can put in your heart.

 

Lord, I know that because I am made in your image I have the ability to be passionate about others. It’s easy to get involved from a distance or to serve without passion. But I want to serve others with the same undying passion as Christ did. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

[Jesus] said to [the ruler], “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have. … Then come, follow me.”  Luke 18:22

When we consider the words of Jesus in Luke 18 to be only an indictment of the rich and a call to sell all possessions, we miss an important message. Jesus saw that the man wanted more out of life than possessions could bring him. So Jesus offered him a solution that would bring peace and fulfillment. Jesus simply told the man to cast aside his burdens and follow him. The man rejected this challenge either because he did not believe that the solution would work or because he saw changing as more painful than staying as he was. The man came to Jesus wanting a closer relationship with God, but he lacked the belief and trust that Jesus could fulfill that desire.

Whether we are rich or poor, believing that God can and will meet our needs and show us the way is key to living with meaning and purpose. Jesus models deep and abiding trust in God, and his teachings show us the way to life. However, it is up to us to accept or reject the offer. Jesus did not beg the man to follow him or explain why he should. Instead, Jesus used the situation to point out that those who are not burdened by possessions find it easier to gain life and peace by following him.

Lord help us to trust that everything we seek can be found in serving you. Amen