Jesus regularly attracted large crowds because of his authoritative teaching and miracles. Consequently, it was necessary to warn the crowds that being his disciple was not an easy thing to venture upon. He taught “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” (Luke 14:26). He was not advocating that one literally hate his father or mother or wife or any other family member. He was saying that to follow him required a devotion that exceeded any other earthly relationship.

This devotion finds its expression in obedience to his teaching as revealed in his word. We cannot be his disciple if we allow any other relationship to lead us away from Christ. In such a case, he is no longer Lord, and we are not serving as his disciple. He must always be first.

The Lord makes this claim to supreme devotion even more pointed. He adds “and whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). The Jews were familiar with the Roman cross in those days. They recognized it as an instrument of death. To take up one’s cross is to die to self and, in so doing, surrender all his prerogatives to Christ. Every decision made, every pursuit followed, every relationship is subject to his word. Something as simple as my TV becomes a realm subject to his Lordship, and its use must ultimately please him.

To follow Christ requires that we follow him completely. Every arena of our lives becomes his domain. No wonder Jesus spoke so frankly to the crowds that followed him. There is a cost to consider. Again, he taught “for which of you intending to build a tower, setteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish” (Luke 14:28-30).

Being a disciple of Christ is not for the fainthearted. Following Christ is not something one does part of the time or only when it is convenient. Living for Jesus is just that, living for Jesus! The Lord gave this summation to the crowds, “whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33).

To forsake all for Christ is to give up nothing to gain everything. He is my goal, my purpose, my means, my true satisfaction, my all. As Paul concluded, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Following Jesus we never travel alone or on an uncharted course (perhaps unknown to us, but never to him). He leads us along the way. And, perhaps, the most wonderful thing about being a disciple of Christ is that whatever he calls for his followers to do, he provides the enabling to perform. “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

Are you one of his followers?

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, the Bible records that it came about that he “went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved?” (Luke 13:22-23). What did this inquirer have in mind when he posed this question to the Savior?

To be saved means to be delivered out of danger into safety. For example, Matthew records that Jesus and his disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee when “there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he [Jesus] was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him saying, Lord, save us: we perish” (Matthew 8:24-25; emphasis added). The gospel writer goes on to tell how Jesus “rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was great calm” (Matthew 8:26). The disciples were saved from being overcome by the storm.

Matthew records another event featuring the disciples on the sea during extremely windy weather. “Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea…they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord…bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him” (Matthew 14:25-31; emphasis added). Peter was saved from drowning in the sea.

The question, however, to Jesus as he was teaching on this occasion is much more fearful for it contemplated to be saved from a peril far greater than mere loss of life, eternal damnation. Since Adam and Eve disobeyed God and fell into sin in the Garden of Eden, this has been the greatest question. In a time pre-dating Moses, Job’s friend, Bildad, asked “How then can a man be justified with God?” (Job 25:4). The jailer in Philippi asked Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). Man has always sensed his own shortcomings before his Creator.

Sin separates man from God. Scripture teaches that the “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Sin does indeed result in death. The universal presence of cemeteries testifies to that. But the Scriptures confirm that “it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27; emphasis added). John gives a glimpse of this judgment. “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away…And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God…And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written tin the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:11-15).

Every man and woman enters this world lost in their sin. Without Christ, they stand in peril of losing their very soul. But Jesus “came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Are you saved? Give heed to the answer Paul gave the jailer. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31)

Jesus had testified to being the Jews’ Messiah, the Son of God, and he had performed many miracles to prove his claims. Yet the people refused to believe him. He admonished them for their inability to rightly discern their circumstances. “And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud out of the west, straightway ye say, there cometh a shower; and so it is. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, there will be heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?” (Luke 12:54-57). The people knew his claims and they saw his miracles, but they refused to believe.

In light of their obstinacy, Christ gave this admonition. “When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite” (Luke 12:58-59). The meaning is plain enough. When your adversary has a claim against you, settle it with him before he takes you before the judge where the matter will no longer be in your hand.

Jesus taught his audience that there is coming a day of reckoning when every man will appear before the Judge. Then it will be too late to be reconciled. Scripture is filled with this warning. The author of Hebrews testifies “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Paul wrote to the church in Rome, “So then every one of us shall give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

We shall all one day stand before God, our Maker and Judge, one day and answer for our sins. His absolute holiness demands that “the very last mite” must be paid. This is a debt that we cannot pay. No amount of good works can eradicate the guilt and stain of our sins. “But God commandeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being justified [declared righteous] by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Romans 5:8-9).

It is by the blood of Christ that we are washed of our sins, forgiven, and declared righteous in the court room of heaven. Christ bore the wrath due each of us for our sins on the cross of Calvary. He died for me, and he died for you. We dare not be like those in our Savior’s day that could “discern the face of the sky and of the earth” but not discern this time of his claim to be their Messiah. Rather, we should heed the Lord’s admonition to settle the matter before we are delivered to the Judge where exaction of the debt shall be made.

Now is the time to come to Christ if you have not already. For God “commandeth all men every where to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31). The resurrected Lord is both Savior and Judge. He is Savior to those who trust in him and will judge those who have not believed. Which one will he be to you?

What are you living for, that is, what are you looking to get out of this present life? We may not have actually said to ourselves, “I want this” or “I am seeking after this,” but the choices we make and the pursuits we follow collectively reveal what is really important to us and the value we place on those things. Jesus breaks that question down into only two choices. You are either living for this present world and all that it has to offer, or you are living for the next. There can be no claim to both. Their pursuits are mutually exclusive.

There was a game show that pitted contestants against each other as they raced a shopping cart up and down the aisles of a grocery store in a timed event. The goal was to fill the cart with the costliest items in the store in the time provided. Whoever had the highest priced total of goods in their cart when the time expired was the winner. For most of us, I’m afraid, that is how we view our lives. We are racing through seeking for the most valuable things that are within our reach with little consideration of their real value. Others are “grabbing” these things, so they must have some value. And we don’t want to be left out. We are hoping when the end comes that our shopping cart is full, and somehow, we made profitable choices.

Jesus reminded his followers, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). We have a kingdom prepared by God waiting for us. That kingdom is not here and now on this earth, but will come at the time appointed of the Father. Then “the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he [Jesus] shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). This is the kingdom promised to us by the Father.

Since we have a kingdom prepared for us, Jesus tells us as his disciples, to live with an eye to that kingdom. “Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth” (Luke 12:33). He is not telling his followers to get rid of their belongings, give the proceeds to the poor, and live as monks in the desert. Rather, he is admonishing them to not hold tightly the things of this present age. They are given to us by God to be used in good works for his glory, to advance his kingdom, and to build a treasure in heaven that can never be diminished.

To do this we are called to look beyond this present life’s trophies to things eternal. Wealth, its pleasures, and its comforts are to be held loosely “for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:5). Speaking of such earthly pursuits, Solomon admonished “He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich” (Proverbs 21:17).

A wrong view of wealth is dangerous to the soul. Jesus warned “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24). “Ye cannot serve God and mammon [wealth]” (Luke 16:13). One is either living for this life or for the next. Which one are you pursuing? Jesus’ question still stands. “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36-37).

Oftentimes, many Christians are overcome with worry because of placing too much importance on things that are of consequence, but really not that important. It was the same in Jesus’ day as in ours. The cure for such anxious care is the same today as it was then. Listen to Jesus. “And he said unto his disciples, Therefore, I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment” (Luke 12:22-23).

Food and clothing are pretty basic needs that rightly concern us all. Jesus was not saying that satisfying such needs does not merit consideration. Rather, he turned the disciples’ attention to greater, more important matters while reminding them of their heavenly Father’s promised provision. There is more to life than eating, drinking, and deciding what clothes we will wear.

The Lord went on to say, “Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than fowls?” (Luke 12:24). God takes care of birds, and his children are far more important than birds. Jesus was not teaching that food magically appears in the pantry or clothing shows up in the closet. Though God provided for the birds, the birds nonetheless had to gather what was provided. And so must we work to enjoy God’s provision.

Jesus encouraged his disciples further, “Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven: how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?” (Luke 12:27-28). The emphasis here is on God’s care for things that are transient, or fleeting, compared to our lives, which are marked for eternity.

Our Lord urges again “ And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things” (Luke 12: 29-30; emphasis added). Our heavenly Father knows that we need these things. What father does not provide those things necessary for the health and welfare of his children. This is the secret to overcoming worry and anxious care. Trust the Father!

Resting our care in our heavenly Father allows us to follow after those things of greater importance. Herein lies the lesson in priorities and things of lesser importance. Jesus encouraged his disciples in a right pursuit, “But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Luke 12:31). This life has its cares and duties. We are to give sufficient attention to them, trusting in our heavenly Father’s provision knowing that he cares for us. But our greater pursuit lies in things above, an unbroken fellowship with the God who created us.

Jesus attracted a crowd wherever he went teaching and healing. On one occasion, “when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people…one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me” (Luke 12:1, 13). In essence, he said “I want what’s mine and I want it now! Jesus replied by speaking to the very issue of his heart. “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15).

He used the following parable to give clarity to the man’s need and perspective to his desires. “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: and he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:16-21).

Covetousness, the desire for wealth and the things that wealth can buy, blinds us to the value of a man’s life and true riches. We become busy chasing a better job, a newer car, a bigger house, and greater comforts and consequently we simply lose sight of the brevity of life. These pursuits have no value in the next life. That is why Jesus asked, “then whose shall those things be?” since they will be left behind.

The inevitability of death makes certain our appointment with God. The writer of Hebrews reminds us, “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Solomon, the wisest and wealthiest of men, understood the brevity of life, the vanity of riches, and the need to prepare to meet God. He stated succinctly, “riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death” (Proverbs 11:4).

To have a righteousness that meets God’s standard is that which makes us “rich toward God.” Jesus taught “that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20; emphasis added). Those who were most righteous in their own eyes and the eyes of other men had no hope of heaven. The only righteousness that will get us into heaven is that of Christ’s. Through his sacrificial death on the cross, “he [God] hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Are you rich toward God?

Jesus taught “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:19-21). Take heed, and beware of covetousness!

As Jesus brings his pattern for prayer to a close, he includes this petition: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Luke 11:4). It is important to rightly understand what is meant by the word “temptation” as it is used in this passage. We often think of temptation as an enticement to do wrong and that is its proper meaning much of the time. In this instance, however, the word temptation does not have that exact meaning.

In the first place, God never tempts any man to do evil. James, the Lord’s half-brother, testifies in his epistle to this truth. “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man” (James 1:13; emphasis added). What then is meant by “lead us not into temptation”?

To understand it fully, we must look to the latter half of the sentence where the Lord adds “but deliver us from evil.” There must be some relationship between “temptation” and “evil” as well as “lead” and “deliver” for the prayer to make sense. The answer lies in the petitioner’s sense of his own sinful weakness and inclination to sin. The prayer crystallizes his own desire to avoid sin and, consequently, anything that would bring shame to his Lord and disrupt his fellowship with God.

On the one hand he prays that God’s leading would be such that it takes him far from any opportunity to sin. He trusts in the Father’s leading, leaving the future in his hands while embracing the Father’s purpose to keep him free from sin. But he also understands the bent of his own heart and his own weakness to overcome sin, so he prays “deliver me from evil.”

Only God can keep us from sin. Jeremiah, the prophet, captured mankind’s problem succinctly. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). First of all, man’s heart is thoroughly sinful. In fact, God’s testimony concerning mankind immediately prior to the flood was this: “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Nothing has changed.

But not only is man’s heart desperately wicked, but we are told it is deceitful above all things. Man’s assessment of his own spiritual condition is untrustworthy. We can put it this way. Man does not see himself as God sees him and God’s is the only viewpoint that matters. So we are admonished to pray “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”  We do not readily discern sin, we walk willingly into sin, and we cannot deliver ourselves from sin. Ultimately, sin is all that matters between my soul and the Savior.

The Psalmist learned that nothing compared with the favor of God for “thy lovingkindness is better than life” (Psalm 63:3). But fellowship with God requires “clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:4). The question we must each ask ourselves is “Do I value my relationship with God more than the pleasures of sin?”

We come to the final two elements in Christ’s pattern of prayer for his disciples as recorded in Luke’s gospel. The first of these occurs following the petition for daily bread. Our Lord adds “And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us” (Luke 11:4). Bear in mind that this pattern for prayer contemplates coming daily before the Father. Consequently, it is acknowledged here that daily cleansing from sin is needful.

The prayer for forgiveness in this context has reference to the defilement of sin that impedes fellowship with the Father. For the believer, the condemnation of our sin has been removed by the blood of Christ. Paul writes, speaking of Jesus, “in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7) and “there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Yes, praise God, our sins in their entirety have indeed been forgiven and we have been reconciled to God. Sinning now for the believer brings defilement only, not condemnation, and hinders our fellowship with the Father.

Jesus gave the perfect illustration of this necessity for cleansing immediately prior to his passion in the upper room where he and his disciples had gathered to eat the Passover. “And supper being ended…he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded” (John 13:2,5). Peter rebelled at the idea of his Lord washing his feet, but Jesus told him plainly that if he did not wash his feet then he (Peter) had no part with him. Upon this admonition, “Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head” (John 13:9).

It is at this point that Jesus illustrates the distinction between salvation and daily cleansing. “Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit” (John 13:10). In Jesus’ day it was customary to wash off a guest’s feet from the dust collected by just walking in the streets of town. The guest did not need a bath, but only required the dust washed from his feet. So it is with being cleansed from the defilement of sins committed. A Christian having been born again does not need to be saved again, but does need cleansed to be fit for fellowship with a holy God.

John’s record is fitting for this occasion. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (I John 1:5-10). The word of God speaks to our specific sins, e.g., unkindness, lying, etc. We dare not argue with the Lord and his word, but follow Solomon’s advice. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

Child of God, is your fellowship with the Father broken because of unconfessed sin? Do not seek to hide from the Lord. As David testified “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).

Previously, we began to look at the Lord’s response to the petition of his disciples to teach them to pray. What has become commonly known as “the Lord’s prayer” opens with “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth” (Luke 11:2). We touched on each of the phrases previously and now move on to the remainder.

Having acknowledged the sovereignty of God and expressing desire to allow that will to govern his own life, the petitioner expresses his dependence upon the Lord. “Give us day by day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3). It is a simple yet profound expression of reliance by the creature upon the Creator that contemplates two concepts. The first is the matter of daily bread, which constitutes not just food, but all that is needed to serve God and fulfill his purpose for the day at hand. The Lord used the most basic necessity for living to exemplify all that we need, food, housing, raiment, strength, etc.

The second concept recognizes that this reliance is necessarily “day by day.” Every day is different from the one preceding it and, consequently, the needs for each new day vary. God supplies them all and He invites us to look to Him daily in prayer for that supply.

It is easy to lose sight of God’s daily provision. We buy enough groceries to last several days at a time, our closets are full of clothing, and our credit cards stand ready to meet every need and desire. These things all have a way of diminishing the recognition of our daily dependence upon God. But God reminded Israel as they were about to enter Canaan “thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18).

We are so self-centered that we seldom take stock of the blessing of God’s provision. Yet He is the one who endowed us with talents and abilities that we employ for our welfare. As Paul reminded the Corinthians “For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive?” (I Corinthians 4:7). God’s leading and favor is in all of our advancements. Have you ever wondered why the job you have went to you and not a different candidate who was equally qualified?

Our lives are consumed with building things, acquiring things, and caring for things. Yet God shows himself strong in that he provides timely sales that meet our needs, neighbors and friends to help in our expansions and repairs, and “unexpected” provisions along our way. He keeps older cars running, roofs from leaking, and shoes from wearing out.

Finally, He gives us our health. Sin’s effects on the earth has brought its curse upon our lives. Sickness is part of that curse as well as the demanding character of work. Yet God gives health and strength to work and blesses our labors with fruitfulness.

Do you acknowledge your daily need of God’s care and provision? Furthermore, do you give thanks to God for meeting your needs? The Psalmist wrote “The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfies the desire of every living thing” (Psalm 145:15-16).