Scripture Union Daily Guide 23rd February 2023 – The Price for True Discipleship

SU DAILY GUIDE DEVOTIONAL READING

Scripture Union Daily Guide 23rd February 2023, SU Daily Guide Devotional Reading for Thursday. Read SU Daily Guide Message

TOPIC: The Price for True Discipleship

OPENING PRAYER: Dear Lord, I request that you help me to encounter you as I meditate on your word.

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Mark 8:28-9:1

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• Q 1: What does the passage teach about God the Father, or God the Son or God the Holy Spirit?
• Q 7: What truth is God revealing to me in this passage?

Scripture Union Daily Guide 23rd February 2023 MESSAGE

Peter’s confession of Christ as the Messiah is quickly followed by rebuking the Lord for speaking so openly about His suffering, rejection, and death (vs.27-32). This shows that Peter did not understand the true meaning of Jesus’ Messiahship. The Messiah must suffer and die before being glorified through resurrection (See Isaiah 53). Thus, an in-depth knowledge of Jesus is a need for all His followers.

Read vs.34–38 again and notice the conditions Jesus laid down for true discipleship. If we live for ourselves, we will lose ourselves, but if we lose ourselves for His sake and the Gospel’s, we will find ourselves. Self-denial is giving up things or activities for a good purpose. But denying self is to surrender to Christ and to be determined to obey His will. This dedication is followed by daily “dying to self’ as we take up our cross and follow Him. To the ordinary person, we are losing ourselves, but from the divine perspective, we are finding ourselves (v.35).

And as we follow Him, we shall face different challenges. Stephen and James were executed. John was imprisoned. Many others had it relatively easier. See 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Matthew 28:20b for the Lord’s assurances as we yield to His warnings in vs.34-38.

• Any new insight or reinforcement of what you already know?

CLOSING PRAYER
Lord, help me to know you, to carry my cross daily, and to follow you.

Offer a prayer of faith in line with Psalms 107:8 ‐ 9

ONE YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
Leviticus 10,11, John 5.

NATIONAL PRAYER BULLETIN – Thu, 23-Feb-2023

PRAYER FOCUS
KNOWING THIS…

May it never be!! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
– Romans 6:2

THANK GOD FOR:
► Dying for us on the cross and declaring that the power of sin over our lives is finished.
► Making us to be alife to Him in Christ Jesus.

PRAY FOR:
· Grace to keep knowing that the flesh has become crucified with Christ, and that it is no longer I who live but Christ.
► Deliberate decision to remind myself daily that those who belong to Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
► Strength to daily submit totally to the Lordship of Jesus and not to mere elementary principles of the world.
► For peaceful election, security of lives and property during the election.

PRAY AGAINST:
► Failing to allow the dead flesh remain dead, there by going back to our vomits.
► Bearing fruits for the flesh instead of bearing fruits of righteousness for God.

National Day of Prayer And Fasting
Tomorrow is the National Day of Praying and Fasting. Pray and Plan to Participate.

Scripture Union Daily Guide 23rd February 2023. Scripture Union is an international, interdenominational, evangelical Christian organization. It was founded in 1867, and works in partnership with individuals and churches across the world. The organization’s stated aim is to use the Bible to inspire children, young people and adults to know God.