The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Matthew 8:18-34, 9:18-38, Mark 4:35 – 5:43, Luke 8:22-56, 9:57-62
Act 3: God’s New Covenant People
Scene 2: Christ’s Ministry; God’s True King Manifests His Kingdom
Background Information: Matthew 8:18-34, 9:18-38, Mark 4:35 – 5:43, Luke 8:22-56, 9:57-62
Did Jesus teach that in order to follow him you must be homeless, and that you can’t attend family funerals or even say goodbye? Jesus is not giving New Testament “laws,” he is giving discipleship principles. Following Jesus must be priority over everything else in your life. Following him is not a part-time undertaking. He is Lord of all of our lives, or he is not Lord at all. You may be called to leave your home and family, but that is not the point he is making. The point is that Jesus has command authority over every single aspect of your life. He decides how you spend your time, what you do with your money, and what are to be your life priorities and activities. This is precisely what it means for him to be “Lord.” We can be Christians and struggle with his Lordship. We can be Christians and rebel against his Lordship by refusing to obey him at times. We cannot be Christians if we refuse to crown him Lord of our hearts and lives. We cannot be Christians if we are able to live in a persistent, unrepentant state of rebellion against his Lordship in our lives. If this sounds oppressive, let’s reframe it. Everyone has a master. Your master may be your own sinful desires. Your master may be the opinions of others. Your master may be your possessions. Your master may be Satan, the great deceiver himself. All these masters will make us slaves. There is no freedom in getting whatever we think we want. There is no freedom in giving ourselves over to our own desires. When Jesus is our master, then we are free indeed. He commands that we follow him in order to leave behind a life of bondage to sin, death, and fear. Jesus commands absolute authority in our lives because he has absolute authority in the world. He revealed his authority over death, storms, demons, and illness. This show of power in the physical realm reveals his power in the spiritual realm. When Jesus is truly our master, no one and nothing else can be. You can have only one master, and Jesus alone is the master who makes his servants free. Do not fear what he asks of you, and do not hesitate to say “yes” to him. There is no need to fear the path of his Lordship, for it is the only path of human freedom.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Ask God to use the work of Embrace to protect unborn children and to speak the truth of the gospel to men and women in need.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.