Daily Readings – Articles – Devotions
Posts tagged Christians
Maximum Effort
In Matthew 25:23, Jesus says, “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’”
The servant who received the two talents received the same commendation as the servant who received the five talents. The master was not concerned at how creative the servants’ marketing tactics were to double or triple his investment; he was focused on their effort. After he saw the effort they put in with the little that was given to them, he felt comfortable with giving More >
Catching Life
In Matthew 8:22, Jesus responds to the disciple, ”Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”
Many people think Jesus is lacking compassion for a dying man when He tells the disciple to let the dead bury their dead. However, Jesus is asking a question in the form of a statement, “Why do we continue to follow after death rather than follow after life?” The only thing death brings is more death. However, Jesus Christ ends that continuous cycle of death. Death has met its match. The problem that many of us face is that we are addicted to death! We More >
Making Jesus Wait
In Matthew 8:21, Another of the disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”
We always want to do the right thing after we accomplish our personal goals and plans. This disciple had a reasonable request to bury his dad but the problem is why does something need to happen first before we follow Jesus. It usually takes some kind of life changing event, sometimes tragic, for us to realize how much we need Jesus. We come up with all types of prerequisites before following Jesus. Some people want to finish school first, some want to get More >
Well Done
In Matthew 25:21, Jesus continues to say, “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’”
As a child, we wanted approval from our parents. I don’t think that ever changes. We will always look up to the ones who raised us. There are people who will say they hate their parents or want nothing to do with them, but they are the same ones who work their hardest and then get the most frustrated when they get no recognition from More >
Costs of Discipleship
In Matthew 8:20, Jesus said to the disciple, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
It is interesting how Jesus responds to the people who say they want to follow Him. He told them exactly what it would cost them. He told them following Him would require them giving up their own very lives. Today, that message isn’t really taught. We call Jesus the Great Physician but when we go to the doctor, after we are healed we go on about our daily lives. We don’t follow our physicians around or More >
Being Prepared At All Times
In Matthew 25:19, Jesus says, “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.”
We don’t know when a lot of things will happen. One of the things I hate the most is mail-in rebates. I never know when I will actually receive the money they promised. Some of them say six to eight weeks but instead feel like six to eight years. It seems however more the money is, the longer it takes to get the rebate. When we are given a position of leadership or any type of responsibility, we are to More >
Using Our Talents
In Matthew 25:16-17, Jesus says, “Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more.”
Some people have an eager heart to serve the Lord. Whatever the Lord calls them to do, they jump into action without hesitation. There is a big difference between not having a particular talent and not exercising the God given talents we have. Many people try to work at what they are not good at rather than do a great job at what they are skilled at. To More >
Following Jesus
In Matthew 8:19, a scribe came to Jesus and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
Many people without knowing anything about Jesus want to make a commitment to Jesus. However, When they see the cost of following Jesus, they run for cover. We have a responsibility to give the entire Gospel and not just the parts that will give false hope. How many time have we heard a preacher say if you come to Jesus, He will heal all of your sickness, pay off your debt, give you a big house or buy you a new car? More >
Separating Ourselves
In Matthew 8:18, when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to depart to the other side of the sea.
Why is it that when Jesus had a crowd around Him, He would try to leave or separate Himself from the crowd? He was always trying to depart from them although they found him fairly quickly. I am not entirely sure why that is. However, if we recall after Jesus rose from the dead, He told Mary not to cling to him because He had not yet ascended. In John 1, when two of John’s disciples started to follow Jesus, He asked them what More >
What’s Your Talent?
In Matthew 25:15, Jesus continues the parable by saying, “To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.”
It is a shame to see how the world can easily deceive people, especially Christians, into believing they have no talent. God has allocated each one of us different talents according to our ability. Some people are more capable than others and to those, God given them higher responsibility. However, society will have us believe that our talent is measured only by the tangible results. I can’t count More >
