Tag: Bible verses about the cost of following Jesus

Bible Verse of The Day – 7-8-24

John 10:10 (NKJV) 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

As Jesus spoke, He was contrasting Himself with the devil, who He referred to as the thief.

He stated that the devil had come to steal, kill, and destroy, but He had come that we might have life abundantly.

But what exactly is the abundance Jesus was referring to?

Many people will immediately think of monetary wealth or material possessions.

This is a popular viewpoint among some believers and teachers since Jesus didn’t specify the type of abundance He was referring to as He spoke in this situation.

But if we were to look at the teachings of Jesus overall, viewing the bigger picture, we would see that He was not speaking at all about monetary or material abundance.

You see, Jesus spoke frequently about why He had come. Never did He state that He had come to make people wealthy or to help them store up an abundance of material goods.

For anyone to teach that this was His purpose would be terribly incorrect. It would, in fact, be bordering on heresy.

Jesus did speak many times throughout His ministry about riches, wealth, storing up treasures on earth, etc. But not once did He speak of these things in a positive light.

In fact, He stated that the possibility of a rich man entering heaven was as difficult as a camel passing through the eye of a needle.

Matthew 19:23-24 (NKJV)23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

When His disciples questioned Him further, Jesus told them that with man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible, clarifying that a rich man entering the kingdom of heaven is only possible if that man submits everything about his life to God, including his wealth.

To be clear, the abundance Jesus came to bring was not material wealth. It was spiritual wealth.

It is the redemption and salvation of mankind that He offers to all who will accept it.

It is the healing power that comes by way of faith in Him.

And it is the forgiveness of our sins by the washing of them in His blood, making us new creations in Him.

Any teaching that claims Christ died a cruel, terrible death on the cross for mankind to become wealthy is false and needs to be seen as such.

Turn away from such teachings and embrace the true gospel that states we must take up our cross and deny ourselves.

Luke 9:23 (NKJV) 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

And let us find true treasure in our relationship with the one, true God.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 4-24-24

Exodus 3:10 (NKJV) 10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

Noah, build an ark.

Abraham, leave your country.

Moses, tell pharaoh to let My people go.

Jonah, go to Nineveh and preach repentance.

David, go slay Goliath, the giant.

Peter, leave your fishing nets, follow me, and I will make you a fisher of men

Saul, stop persecuting Me. You are now Paul. Bring my message to the Gentiles.

As we spend time in God’s word, and we learn about the people listed above that God has called and used over the centuries, we will begin to see a common thread that runs through their lives; their lives belonged to Him. They were not their own.

And as we learn this, we should begin to see that this is the case for each of us as well; we are not our own.

Yet, despite this, we get inundated with feel-good messages that claim God wants us to live lives of grandeur, overflowing with abundant blessings, wild popularity, and everything we desire.

Most of this is based on the perversion of a small, select handful of scriptures, which gives it the appearance of legitimacy if we fail to do our homework and find the truth ourselves.

These teachings would lead the uninformed to believe that following God is a cake walk that is centered on us and does not incur a cost.

But look at that list of people above and what God told each of them.

Doing so demonstrates clearly that their loyalty to God cost them everything they had.

This does not mean they were poor, or that they lacked what they needed in life. But there was a human cost; a toll on each of their lives.

Now, this is not to say that each of us must follow the same paths as these people.

But we must take note of what Jesus told us is required to follow Him.

Luke 9:23 (NKJV) 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

When I hear many of the teachings mentioned above, it is difficult to find one mention of denying ourselves. It is even more difficult to hear a single mention of picking up our cross.

That surely speaks volumes about what is at the core of their messages; self.

Let us run far from these kinds of teachings, sticking like glue to the truth of God’s word and to God Himself, denying ourselves when he asks us to do so and carrying our cross toward the finish line.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 8-9-23

Luke 14:28 (NKJV) 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—

As the years have gone by, I have begun to realize that God has changed me immensely. And rightfully so. I am no longer my own. I belong to Him.

If we have accepted God’s invitation to put our faith and trust in Christ, we are not our own. We have been bought with a price, and that price was great.

1 Corinthians 6:20 (NKJV) 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

As a child of God, it is important that we surrender our whole selves to Him.

Jesus emphasized this as He spoke and taught the crowds.

Many came to hear Him speak. It was the “in” thing to do at that time as word of Him spread throughout the regions.

But He warned them that following Him was not an endeavor for the weak or the faint of heart. It would cost them.

Luke 9:23 (NKJV) 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

And, if we truly desire to follow Him wholeheartedly, it does cost us.

The cost for each of us will be different. We are all unique.

But it is critical that we understand the truth that there is a cost.

Do we understand this?

Are we willing to bear the cost, even as He bore the pain, humiliation, and shame of the cross for you and me?

Let us be serious in our walk with God. And let us understand the cost of being His disciple.

And let us be ready to lay it all down for Him as He laid it all down for us.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 4-29-22

Matthew 8:19-22 (NKJV) 19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

In keeping with yesterday’s devotional, which dealt with suffering for our faith, let’s take a look at the cost of following Jesus.

This is never a popular topic. It’s not fun, and it doesn’t give us the warm fuzzies. It doesn’t get anyone excited. And it won’t be something that draws many people.

It’s inconvenient. It’s uncomfortable. And it can be scary for some to contemplate.

But it is reality; truth in plain sight. And it is a reality that we all need to understand, realizing that some of us will need to embrace it on a personal level.

For Jesus, the cost was His life, literally. That was the price He paid for being obedient.

Philippians 2:8 (NKJV) 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

For us, we may not die for our faith in Christ. But there may be a cost that we pay each day, a little here and a little there.

This may include denying our own wants and desires in order to do what God wants us to do vs. what we’d like to do.

It might mean that we surrender something major in our lives in order to walk the path that God has set before us.

There can be very, very many ways that we pay the cost of following Jesus. And sometimes it can be painful. That’s something that’s not nice to talk about.

But again, it is truth. And truth needs to be addressed.

So, let each of us consider these things carefully. And let us seek God, and ask Him to help us be willing to pay whatever cost we are asked to pay in order to follow Jesus.

And let us surrender to God, that He might be honored and glorified in our lives, which should be our ultimate goal and desire.

Amen

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 1-14-22

Luke 9:23 (NKJV) 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Take up his cross. Wow, this is a huge statement.

What is our cross? And how do we take it up daily?

Jesus’ cross was literal, and it led to His death by crucifixion.

He took it up and walked it out to the end. When He was done, His Father was completely pleased with Him.

What is our cross?

We each have a personal cross to take up. Whether we will do it or not is the question.

Will we get serious with Christ and follow His lead for our life?

That is our daily cross; to follow His leading, pushing our fleshly desires aside and letting His desires rise above ours.

This will cause us to deny what we want, saying no to our flesh, and starving ourselves from earthly cravings that aren’t good for us.

Money and material wealth will take a back seat when carrying our cross.

Jesus was our example. He gave His life daily to us, teaching, healing, and delivering, and then ultimately dying for us. He carried His cross with everything in Him!

Can we take up our cross and follow through, not looking back, shutting doors that need to be closed, and putting first those things that matter most to Him?

Only we can answer that question.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 7-2-21

John 10:27 (NKJV) 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

This is a familiar verse to most of us. We’ve probably heard or read it many times in the past.

And we have probably all read it and moved on, thinking very little about the depth of it.

I did that, too, until recently, when the Holy Spirit showed me something that I had missed.

Look at those last 4 words; “and they follow me”.

God clearly showed me that most of us miss the importance of those 4 words.

You see, we often state that we believe in Jesus. We put our faith in Him. We trust Him.

But Jesus said that His sheep “follow Him”.

There is a big difference between believing in someone and following them!

Now that caught my attention.

To believe in someone conveys that we have some kind of confidence in them as a person of significance, or a leader; someone of great importance.

But to follow them indicates that we do far more than just believe in them. We trust them with everything; our life, our eternal destiny, our very soul.

It also means that we obey them! We do what they say we should do.

That is probably the biggest outward sign of following Jesus; that we obey Him in the way we live and the actions we take in our day to day lives.

We live like He lived. And we live the way He instructed us to.

Why? Not simply because it seems like the right thing to do. But because we love Him.

Remember the exchange between Peter and Jesus?

Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him. By the third time, Peter was frustrated. But Jesus was trying to make a point; that He wanted Peter to understand what it meant to love Him.

And then He told Peter to do something that was significant, but seemed rather odd at the time; feed My sheep.

It was then that Peter started to get it. It “clicked”, and he understood the depth of what it means to follow Jesus.

And that level of loving and following Jesus ultimately cost Peter his life, as He literally followed Jesus to his death years later.

John 21:17 (NKJV) 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

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Bible Verse of The Day – 5-22-21

John 15:18-19 (NKJV) 18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Making a decision to follow Jesus may cause us to leave behind some people, things and places that we are used to having around.

They may be a part of our usual routines and habits.

This is part of getting serious about heavenly things and letting go of worldly things.

When we become His child, don’t expect certain people to be happy about it. They may flat out reject us, or even hate us for it.

We have now been accepted into the arms of a righteous Father. Our outlook on life will change.

Even though salvation is free for all of us, through the blood of Jesus Christ, the walk that follows will cost us some things.

But, to encourage you, know that it will be worth it all.

We may give up some things, but we will be blessed in a way we never expected. God is faithful to give us joy, peace and continued love. What more could we ever ask for?

Come out from the worldly lifestyle and walk in His peace, as He leads us and shows us the way we should go. Amen.

Thank you, Father God and Lord Jesus. We are forever grateful! Amen.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

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Bible Verse of The Day – 2-13-21

John 13:37-38 (NKJV) 37 Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.” 38 Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.

Boy, it’s hard to believe that Peter had one thought and Jesus had another.

Peter thought, “I will die for You Lord”. But Jesus said, “no, you will deny Me”.

So sad to think that Peter really meant it at the time, only to find out what he was really made of a short time later. How disappointed he must have been.

Who are we kidding when we tell ourselves that we would have done things differently than Peter did? We are human and we have weaknesses.

Just as Peter really wanted to do what he said, it was harder than he thought when he was face to face with it. And Jesus knew it.

How many of us will say yes to Jesus, but when it comes down to doing it, we are weak and do just the opposite at that time?

Never mind about laying our life down for Him, like Peter said he would do. How about just giving to Him from our firstfruits, tithing from what He has already blessed us with?

That’s all Jesus is looking for; a willingness to obey even in the simple things.

We are not going to be perfect in this. But if we are willing to obey, we will see God’s goodness.

Isaiah 1:19 (NKJV) 19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land…

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

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Bible Verse of The Day – 3-5-18

Luke 5:11 (NKJV) 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

This took place right after Jesus had just filled their boats with fish. They had tried all night but had caught nothing. Then Jesus told Simon to let down his net for a catch.

As Simon listened and obeyed, Jesus not only filled one boat, but Simon had to call over his partners with their boat too.

They filled two boats full of fish so that they began to sink. WOW! I’d say for those fishermen, that’s a good day.

After seeing what Jesus did, they were ready to follow Him, giving up everything. Why? Because Jesus had personally touched their hearts and opened their eyes.

You see, fishing was their livelihood. It’s what put food on their table. It was how they earned their living. It was their stability.

But, that was not what changed them. They knew there was more about Him that they wanted than the material stuff. That was awesome to experience, I’m sure. But it didn’t hold them back. They left it all behind to follow Him.

Are we still looking for stuff from Jesus, or have we reached that point where He is more than that to us? He is about more than filling our boats, our bank accounts, buying us a home, getting us success and fame, putting us in a fancy car, a jet, large boat or a big church with fancy seating.

There is so much more to Jesus than the blessings of riches. He is everything! The disciples knew it and made the right choice to forsake it all and follow Him.

Through Him is our way to eternal life in Heaven.

His blood covered our sins, and through Him we have been made righteous.

Romans 5:19 (NKJV) 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

Are we ready to forsake it all and move forward with Him?

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

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Bible Verse of The Day – 8-27-16

Matthew 10:34-36 (NKJV) 34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’

Sometimes we may not understand why our very own family doesn’t want anything to do with us at times. They argue or fight with us and have no respect for the decision we have made to serve Christ.

It really isn’t about us as much as it is about Who we have chosen to stand for. We might notice that we sometimes aren’t included in different family celebrations or parties. We may not be invited out to lunch with friends at times. We may even be looked down upon at times for doing absolutely nothing wrong.

God will help us to know how to continue to love others and not let their hurtful words or accusations against us cause us to look at them differently.

The sword that we carry is Christ in us. Sometimes it can cut without us even saying a word. People don’t understand why they feel the conviction they do within their hearts when they are around us, so they will sometimes lash out or run away.

Don’t take it personally. It comes with the decision we make to follow Christ. He will help build our character and show us how to handle each situation.

Luke 6:27 (NKJV) 27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you…

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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