2014: a year of giving up

Count The Cost and Journey On in 2014

Luke 14
²⁵ A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, ²⁶ “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
²⁸ “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? ²⁹ Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. ³⁰ They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
³¹ “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? ³² And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.  

cost of the kingdom of God

³⁴ “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? ³⁵ Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!”
Luke 18 
²⁶ Those who heard this said, “Then who in the world can be saved?”
²⁷ He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.”
²⁸ Peter said, “We’ve left our homes to follow you.”
²⁹ “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, ³⁰ will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.”

What generation are you in?

Today’s Bible word is GENERATION. The spiritual question is: What generation are you in? There are only two to choose from. Either you are in one or you are in the other. As all are in “this generation”, this question must be answered by all. Tip: choose number 31!

1. Matthew 11:16
   “But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions,
   
   
   
   
   
2. Matthew 12:39
   But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
3. Matthew 12:41
   The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
4. Matthew 12:42
   The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
5. Matthew 12:45
   Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”
6. Matthew 16:4
   A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.
7. Matthew 17:17
   Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.”
8. Matthew 23:36
   Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
9. Matthew 24:34
   Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
10. Mark 8:12
    But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.”
11. Mark 8:38
    For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
12. Mark 9:19
    He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.”
13. Mark 13:30
    Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
14. Luke 1:50
    And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation.
15. Luke 7:31
    And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?
16. Luke 9:41
    Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.”
17. Luke 11:29
    [ Seeking a Sign ] And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
18. Luke 11:30
    For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.
19. Luke 11:31
    The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
20. Luke 11:32
    The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
21. Luke 11:50
    that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation,
22. Luke 11:51
    from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.
23. Luke 16:8
    So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in theirgeneration than the sons of light.
24. Luke 17:25
    But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
25. Luke 21:32
    Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.
26. Acts 2:40
    [ A Vital Church Grows ] And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perversegeneration.”
27. Acts 8:33
    In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.”
28. Acts 13:36
    “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption;
29. Philippians 2:15
    that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
30. Hebrews 3:10
    Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’
31. 1 Peter 2:9
    But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;