Tues.’s Devo - Count the Cost

Read: Joshua 3:1-4:24; Luke 14:7-35; Psalm 80:1-19; Proverbs 12:27-28 Joshua gave the people instructions to wait until they saw the priests leave, then they were to follow in their tribes a half mile behind them. Until that time, they were to purify themselves. *** Joshua told the priests that when they came to the Jordan, they were to take a few steps into the water and stop. As soon as their feet touched the water, the flow would be cut off upstream and the river would stand up like a wall. It happened just as he said it would and the people ended up crossing right next to Jericho. The priest stood in the middle of the river bed holding the Ark while all the people crossed over the Jordan. *** Then God told Joshua to select a man from each tribe to go back into the Jordan and pick up a stone in the middle and bring it on the shore as a memorial. Joshua set up twelve more stones in the middle of the Jordan where the priests had stood as a memorial. *** As soon as the priests’ feet touched the ground on the other side, the waters came back and overflowed their banks like before. They crossed over the 10th day of the first month making it the very day Jesus would enter into Jerusalem to be crucified. *** In Luke, Jesus tried to teach his disciples about humility. He explained that they should take the lowest seat and maybe they would be invited to come up to a higher position. He was telling them to let others exalt them, not to do it themselves. *** Jesus also talked to them about inviting neighbors that could invite them back like the poor, crippled, lame and blind. They would be rewarded at the resurrection. One of the men sitting at the table exclaimed that what a blessing it would be to attend a banquet in heaven. This launched Jesus into a story. He told about a rich man who sent out invitations to his feast. People had all sorts of excuses why they couldn’t come. So the man went to the poor, cripples, blind and lame and gave them invitations. When his banquet hall still wasn’t full he sent out invitations to the people in the country and anywhere they could find people. *** Jesus was giving them a picture of God’s invitation that first went to the Jews and when they rejected it, he sent out invitations to all the peoples of the world. *** Then Jesus told them the cost of following him. They would lose their families, friends and their own lives. They needed to count the cost because they would have to carry their own cross to follow Jesus. They would have to be salt to the world. *** Lord, may we count the cost and be willing to give up everything for you and your kingdom.