"The Cost of Discipleship." 2 Samuel 24:24 on this week's Word of Grace Devotion with Pastor Joe Marquez.

6/8/2017

The Word of Grace Devotion for June 5, 2017
The Cost of Discipleship
2 Samuel 24:24, “But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.”
Beloved, every time I read through 2 Samuel and specifically 2 Samuel 24, I am reminded of my year in the School of Ministry at Calvary Albuquerque. 2 Samuel 24:24 was our theme verse for the year and as the year progressed it became more apparent each day that it was the perfect Scripture to sum up the year.
That SOM year laid a foundation for my life as a disciple of Jesus Christ. I learned what it meant to give all I had to serve Jesus, to give of my time, my talent and my treasure in order to become a true follower of Christ. Truth be told, for some it was a very difficult year as the Lord began to peel off layer after layer of selfishness and pride. Everyone could use a year of SOM or something like it.
Beloved, in our society here, we have developed this incredible theology that says you can be a Christian and not worry about being committed. In fact, you can be a Christian and not even be a disciple. Those who teach that would say, “Yes, there’s no question in the NT about Jesus assigning a tremendous cost to discipleship. But you don’t need to worry about that, because that’s second-level Christianity. First-level Christianity doesn’t really have any particular cost at all. That is a lie that Satan feeds to our flesh.
So what is discipleship? Discipleship is more than just being a learner. It is being an intimate follower, having an intimate relationship, and following Jesus to the point where you would go as far as death out of love. There is no question about the fact that the only message Jesus ever proclaimed was a message of discipleship. The call that Jesus gave was a call to follow Him, a call to submission, and a call to obedience.
Quite simple, as King David learned, if your offering to the Lord does not cost you anything, then it is not much of an offering. As a disciple of Christ, we are to take up our Cross and follow hard after Him. Beloved, are you a true disciple of Christ?
I pray that you will have a blessed week! I love you and I will be praying for you!

In Christ,
Pastor Joe

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Senior Pastor
Joe Marquez

Beloved, we are soon to once again celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the human Son of man and the divine Son of God. He is one hundred percent human and one hundred percent God.

While there were many people instrumental in the birth of Christ, this morning we will look at His birth through the eyes of Joseph, His legal father. There is not too much known about the man who would care for Christ as He grew up. We know that Joseph was possibly a carpenter but most importantly we know that he was a righteous man who did the right thing.

When others would have ran away from a responsibility that was not even their own, Joseph stood steadfast and remained faithful to the end. We can learn much from his character and apply his attributes of faithfulness, purity, and perseverance to our own lives.

May you have a Blessed Christmas week and may Christ always be at the center of your lives!

P.S. Come back this evening as we look at the birth of Christ through the Gospel of Luke!