February 9 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

When the rich young ruler refused to follow Jesus because the price was too high, the disciples asked what they would get. After all, they had given up everything to follow Jesus.

Once again Jesus gave a surprising answer. On more than one occasion we read in the gospels that Jesus rebuked his disciples for asking the wrong question. And in this case they certainly seem to have gone too far. We would expect Jesus to say: "Just follow me; never mind the reward." However, instead of chiding them, Jesus painted a picture of life with God in the most exciting colors.

Christ throws the doors of the castle wide open and exhibits the generosity of God. "You cannot be a loser if you follow me," he said. "You'll be the receiver in this life, and in the next age you'll have eternal life." For everything you give up, you will receive "many times as much." Any investor would be happy to get that kind of return.

We must often remind each other of Jesus' warning that those who would gain the whole world yet lose their soul have no profit whatsoever from their life's investment. But we should also remember his promise that those who give up on the worldly life will find a tremendous profit in the kingdom.

You and I are sinfully inclined to give little and expect little. Now let God teach us by the Spirit to give our all and expect all that Jesus has promised.

Jesus has spoken this cheerful word without reservation. We know that we have a generous God. And since we know this, it is much easier to burn our bridges and go on the pilgrimage with father Abraham and all who believe as he did.

REFLECTIONS

What tells you today that you have a generous God?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.