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Devotional Making Disciples

Dismayed by the demand

Ever dismayed by the demand?
Narrow door.
Only one way to
 the Father.
Denying self, 
taking up the cross daily.
So much surrender
entering
the Kingdom of God.
Dismayed by the demand. Image by Keem Ibarra on Unsplash.

Doing the right things

Rich, young ruler
doing the right things.
And asking the right question:
“What must I do 
to inherit eternal life?”
But Jesus nails
the one thing
still 
holding his heart.
So much 
a part of who he is.
So he thinks.

Dismayed by the demand

“Go and sell all you have
and give to the poor….
Then come, follow Me.”
The unexpected answer
shakes him.
“But he was dismayed by the demand…”
and he walks away in grief.
Why?
“…because he had
many possessions.”

Releasing all

Whole-hearted surrender is
not just following 
the rules,
but releasing all
to Him.
All.
Whatever we hold onto.
Whatever holds onto us.
Money. Status. Comfort.
Family. Place.
Talents.
“Safety.”

Who can be saved?

Seeing how hard it is
to enter the Kingdom,
astonished disciples ask,
“Then who can be saved?”
And Jesus says,
“With man it is impossible, 
but not with God,
because all things
are possible
with God.”
Dismayed by the demand?
Don’t walk away.
Turn your eyes 
to Him.

What about you?

Have you ever been dismayed by His demand?

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4 replies on “Dismayed by the demand”

In our service today, we were encouraged to consider the extraordinary Christ who uses very ordinary people! His ways are bigger and bolder than our imaginations!

I think what’s hard is that it’s a continuous surrender. It’s not just a one time thing. It’s a daily thing. And sometimes it hits you harder than others.

I would love to hear from you!

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