Tues.’s Devo - Be a Follower

Read: 2 Samuel 1:1-2:11; John 12:20-50; Psalm 118:19-29; Proverbs 15:27-28
Yesterday, we read where a sick Amelikite’s slave gave them news of the war. David let him live. Today we read of an Amelekite who gave David news of the war thinking he would get an award. Instead, he was killed.
Saul and Jonathan had died on the battlefield which caused mourning and sadness for David and his men even though they were one of Saul’s enemies; David never considered Saul his enemy. That is the perfect way to look at those who persecute us and don’t understand our heart. They may look at us as their enemy, but we can guard our hearts and not think of them as ours. That is what Jesus did with the ones who killed him.
David was now free to go home where they crowned him king of Judah. Saul’s son, Ish-Bosheth became king of Israel. Ish-Bosheth means “man of shame”.
In John, we hear that some Greeks wanted to see Jesus. I thought this commentator’s thoughts were good: "These men from the west represent, at the end of Christ's life, what the wise men from the east represented at its beginning; but those come to the cross of the King, even as these to His manger" [STIER]. “As far as the east is from the west, so he has removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)
That must have been a cue for Jesus, because he began talking about his death in a new way. He showed them how he had to die so his seed could produce many more seeds on the earth. He was the seed that would germinate the world with the gospel. He cried out for God to glorify his name and God answered from heaven, “I have gloryfied it, and will glorify it again.” He was talking about being glorified through the church and his second coming.
All who were around him heard the voice from heaven and still some of them hardened their hearts just like Isaiah had seen they would. But, some of the leaders believed, but wouldn’t confess they believed because they didn’t want to be put out of the synagogues. They might have made it to the synagogues but missed God’s heavenly synagogue. Romans 10:10 says, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” It goes on to say that if you truly believe in him then you will not be ashamed. So, they didn’t truly believe in him to the point of wanting to lay down their lives to be his disciple. The devil knows that Jesus is Lord, but that doesn’t make him a follower and certainly not a partaker of salvation.
Lord, help us to lay down our own desires for yours today. We want to be a follower.