October 25, 2012 … Whom Do We Follow?

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 299

Blogger’s Note: One of my favorite songs which I often play to help me prepare for my morning time with God here in my quiet place each morning is sung by a friend of mine along with two friends of his, … Clay Crosse with Bob Carlisle and Bebe Winans. The song is I Will Follow Christ; and you can see/hear it being sung by going to this link before you follow my devotional journal entry today.  


Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Luke, Chapters 12-13 To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Highlight Passages: Luke 12: 1-3; 56-57 : [NLT] … { Luke records Jesus giving some of the strongest and most powerful sermons of His earthly ministry; and I would exhort any who are reading along with me today to meditate on these powerful words, which are, of course, the messages of truth from the Living Word Himself, … Jesus, The Christ! }  ... 1 Meanwhile, the crowds grew until thousands were milling about and crushing each other. Jesus turned first to his disciples and warned them, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—beware of their hypocrisy. 2The time is coming when everything will be revealed; all that is secret will be made public. 3Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!” …  
{And finally at the end of Chapter 12, after teaching of what God’s kingdom values should be in this life in preparation for the next, Jesus warns His followers of a dark time coming which will foreshadow His coming again for His Bride, the Church. And when we see the storm clouds gathering, as I believe we are in these times today, we are warned that we must be those who are following Christ, as is sung in the song I asked you to take in before this devotional time. } … 54 Then Jesus turned to the crowd and said, “When you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, ‘Here comes a shower.’ And you are right. 55When the south wind blows, you say, ‘today will be a scorcher.’ And it is. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but you can’t interpret these present times. … 57 “Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right?”…
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Highlight Passages: Luke 13: 22-27 : [NLT] … {And Jesus, recorded by Luke in Chapter 13, presses on in His trek toward Jerusalem and the Cross with strong messages of truth and warning to those who were following Him, especially His inner 12, whom He was preparing for their future mission on earth. And the lesson in verses 22-27 is one of the toughest … that not all will be saved to enter God’s kingdom with Jesus … only those who follow Christ … once again as the song to which I’ve linked you this AM.} ... 22 Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” … He replied, 24 “The door to heaven is narrow. Work hard to get in, because many will try to enter, 25 but when the head of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. Then you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I do not know you.’ 26 You will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you. Go away, all you who do evil.’ “ 

Reference Passage: To study God’s word and promise, giving the reality of those who will be saved, go to this link 

My Journal for Today: Luke records, in Chapter 12-13 of His Gospel account, Jesus on His way to Jerusalem and the cross, teaching/preaching and healing; and His message was a hard one for His followers to consume; … that they must lay aside their hypocrisy, as illustrated best in the lives of the Pharisees and religious leaders, and surrender their lives to following Jesus and the values He was preaching.

And my journal appeal today is a simple one. After one, reading along with me today, has taken in the song to which I linked you above as well as the strong words from God, through Luke, in these two chapters, where do we stand? Can we say, as the song declares so forcefully, ”I Will Follow Christ” Or are we to be among the hypocrites who follow Jesus around, admiring His life and teachings, but not fully willing to surrender to His clear teachings about kingdom values, especially in these times which I feel fit so clearly into Jesus’ teachings about the end times in Luke 12.

So, my dear follower here, I take you by link above to the strong words from the Apostle Paul in Romans 10: 9-13 where God, though Paul, gives anyone the clear formula for salvation. And I pray that all who read here can be found in that formula of truth and can sing along with Crosse, Carlisle, and Winans today, ”I will follow Christ!”

My Prayer Today: … LORD, I sing strongly with my brother singers today … I will follow You!!! Amen