Day 32- What Would You Be Willing To Give Up For Jesus?
SCRIPTURE:
The young man….went away sad, for he had great possessions…Matthew 19:22
DEVOTION:
Once God makes Himself known to us,what we do next is our decision. Our spiritual lives are the sum of responses we make towards God. Our reaction to Father’s prompting or requests is a litmus test of our desire to follow Father and of our faith in Him. When Father speaks to us, it will require an adjustment in our lives. When we meditate on the Word of God, we must be prepared to obey what His Word tells us.
The Young man in Matthew 19:22, expressed his desire to follow Jesus and become one of his disciples. He had all the head knowledge of who God was, he knew all the Mosaic laws and had walked in them all his life but when Yeshua asked him to sell all his worldly possessions and follow Him, he walked away sad because he had great possessions and was not willing to part with it.
REFLECTION & SHARING:
What adjustments are you willing to make in your life in order to respond positively to Christ? What are you willing to surrender to improve your walk with Father?
I really had to think of the question that this devotion is centered on. What am I willing to give up to follow Yeshua? I could be pious and say "Anything!!!" Then I think of Abraham and his obedience to offer up his son as a sacrifice. I think of Hannah who after being barren, she gave her son back to God. I think of Stephen who was stoned to death because of his belief and expression of that belief. I think of Hadassah/Esther who was willing to die for her people's ability to worship the Lord. Lord, I can think of martyrs who gave their lives up... I am not saying that Father will ask me to do that but I am going to the farthest extremes. Lord, if there is anything that I am so attached to that I will choose that thing instead of following you and being obedient to you, I ask oh God to release me from it. Remove my desire to have it in my life. Remove anything that is drawing me to it instead of you. Lord, you teach by beholding we become changed (2 Cor 3:18)... Lord let me continue to behold your goodness and the things of you so I become more like your son Yeshua Messiah and not like the things of the world. Lord, mould me and make me into who you want me to be. Release me oh God from any attachment to anything or anyone that would cause me to choose these things or people over you. Ohhhh Mercy Lord Mercy!!!