Worth It to Follow Jesus

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading titled, Worth It to Follow Jesus, was written by Tim Gustafson. Ronit came from a religious but not Christian family.

Their discussions about spiritual matters were dry and academic. I kept praying all the prayers, she said, but I wasn't hearing from God. She began to study the Bible. Slowly, steadily, she inched towards faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Ronit describes the defining moment. I heard a clear voice in my heart saying, you've heard enough, you've seen enough, it's time to just believe. But Ronit faced a problem, her father.

My dad responded as if Mount Vesuvius erupted, she recalls. When Jesus walked this earth, crowds followed him. We don't know exactly what they were looking for, but he was looking for disciples.

And that comes with a cost. If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even their own life. Such a person cannot be my disciple, Jesus said in Luke chapter 14. He told a story about building a tower.

Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost, he asked. Jesus' point wasn't that we're to literally hate family, rather it's that we must choose him over everything else. He said, you whom do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

Ronit loves her family deeply, yet she concluded, whatever the cost, I figured it's worth it. What might you need to give up to follow Jesus as he guides you? Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Luke chapter 14 verses 25 through 33. Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said, if anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even their own life.

Such a person cannot be my disciple, and whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?

For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, this person began to build and wasn't able to finish. Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won't he first sit down and consider whether he is able with 10,000 men to oppose the one coming against him with 20,000?

If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. Let's pray. Father, please help us to choose your son over everything this world has to offer. May we speak boldly of the reason we have such a commitment to you, and may our lives be a display of your love and forgiveness that attracts others to you. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. I'm Stephen Tabor, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.