What’s The Most Important Thing?

Posted by Melissa

IT’S SUNDAY, AND YOUR COACH schedules a morning practice. You have Bible study on Wednesday night, and your friends call and invite you to go out for hot wings. The prettiest girl or hottest guy in the school isn’t interested in God but is very interested in you. Your friend has a cell phone at camp and you don’t know whether you should tell your counselor. The scenarios are endless of everyday situations that call for tough choices—choices that boil down to what Jesus wants or what you want. Think about a “Jesus or you” choice that you recently had to make. What made the choice difficult? If you could do it over, would you choose differently?

Read Luke 14:25-35. Stop and think about verse 26.
What relationships did Jesus say could never be more important than Him?
 
Why do these verses make you feel uncomfortable?
 
What did Jesus say was the cost of putting others before Him?
 
What relationships are you tempted to put before Jesus?
 
What steps do you need to take today to make sure that you are choosing Jesus first in all things?

Jesus isn’t calling you to actually “hate” everyone in your life except Him. You know God’s character and that He would never ask you to do that! What Jesus is saying is that no friend, family member, coach, boss, or boyfriend/girlfriend—absolutely NO ONE (that includes yourself)—is to be more important to you than Him. It’s one thing to say you are a Christian, but if your choices don’t scream “I’m a follower of Jesus!,” then your relationship may only be lip service.

Jesus’ whole point is that following Him costs us. Clearly, He wants us to follow hard after Him with a single-minded focus. When you are willing to pay the price, then you can call yourself a true disciple. Does your life announce to the world that you are His disciple?

Posted in Devotions, Girls | Tagged Camp Crestridge for Girls, Camp Ridgecrest for Boys, Devotion, Luke, Weekly Devotions