Good morning! Yesterday, we began reading the section in Matthew 8:18-22 The Cost of Following Jesus.
As I pondered on the word ‘cost’, the two things that came to mind was, expensive and priceless. There are many reasons why people decide not to follow Jesus, yet there are plenty who decide to follow Him.
Yesterday we focused on verses 18-19, we read verse 19 when a teacher of the religious law stated, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Today we continue in Matthew 8, and read the response from another who wanted to follow Jesus.
BIBLE VERSE – Matthew 8:21-22 NLT
“21 Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.”
REFLECTION
In these verses, Jesus presented another picture of the cost of following Him. In these verses, it wasn’t that Jesus didn’t care about the disciples father but Jesus made it clear that there is an urgency of following Christ.
In fact, some concordance say the disciple’s father wasn’t ill, but he wanted to go back home to be with his father until he passed away. In this situation, the disciple was choosing to be with his father for a time, and then later after his father died, and he gained an inheritance he would then return to follow Jesus – setting his discipleship aside. Jesus – noted let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.
The spiritually dead, were/are those who hear and do not believe, and those who follow and then fall away.
Brothers and sisters, life is hard, but if we are living without God and the saving grace of Jesus, we are spiritually dead. Let us live what we believe and follow Christ until the end of our days.
Question:
- What are you putting before God (e.g., friends, comfort, family, relationships, etc.)? _______
- No matter the cost, are you willing to follow Jesus? ________
PRAYER
Father God, thank you for all the things that you have done and continue to do for us. Forgive us when we put things before you. Forgive us of our sins (known and unknown), and help us to turn away from them.
Lord, help us to give up the things that keep us from following you. Lord, guide us in the way we should go. Lord, the enemy is crafty and accusatory, so Lord, we seek you, speak to our hearts and minds so that we will hear from you. Let your words and promises stable our lives and our minds. Lord, help us to be bold in our faith and trust in you. Lord, we want to say, no matter the cost – we will follow you. Help us to obey and honor your word, and remain fully committed to following you all of our days. In Jesus name, amen.
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Women’s Retreat Tickets Are Now On Sale!
- Tickets can be purchased online through our Givelify Account click here.
- It will prompt you to give. Click other.
- On the screen enter $45.00
- On the next screen, select 2025 Women’s Retreat.
- Tickets are non-refundable.
- We have a limit of 75 tickets.
Event themed t-shirts are on sale.
- T-shirts purchased between April 1 – April 10 will receive a $5.00 discount. Enter in code: SHESARMED15
- You can purchase your t-shirt by using the following vendor link: https://www.injesusnamecreations.com/product-page/whitecircleshesarmeddangeroust-shirt
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Saturday, July 19, 2025 we will host our next Women’s Retreat. Our theme for the retreat is taken from Ephesians 6:10-17.
Our Theme is: She is Armed & Dangerous – “Take the helmet of salvation & the sword of the spirit.”
Thanks to our faithful donors, the retreat will be in-person and limited virtual participation. If you are unable to attend the retreat, but want to make a donation, you can send your donation through our Givelify Account click here.
Stay tuned for more updates.
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We Are Looking For Volunteers
Sisters, we are looking for volunteers for our upcoming events and also to fill an open Board position. Our next volunteer meeting is on Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. via Zoom.
If you would like to join us or get more information, please send an email to: contactus@maryewhiteministries.com
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PRAYER REQUEST
Do you have a prayer request? We would love to pray for you. Send your prayer request to: contactus@maryewhiteministries.com
Bible Reference: http://biblegateway.com
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