Thursday, October 30 | The Cost of Acknowledgment
Day 4: The Cost of Acknowledgment
Reading: Matthew 10:32-33; Romans 10:9-13; 2 Timothy 2:11-13
Devotional:
"So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven."
There are only two options. No middle ground. No neutral territory. Either we acknowledge Jesus or we deny Him. Either He acknowledges us or He denies us. The stakes couldn't be higher.
But what does it mean to "acknowledge" Jesus? It's far more than intellectual assent or a one-time prayer. It's not simply fire insurance—a ticket out of hell while you continue living for yourself. True acknowledgment is ordering your entire life around your relationship with Him.
It begins with repentance and faith. Repentance isn't a religious ritual; it's a radical reorientation. In fear of God, you acknowledge your sin, feel genuine remorse, turn from it, and ask forgiveness. Faith is the other side of the coin—trusting that Jesus has paid for that forgiveness and offers it freely, then making Him Lord of your life.
This decision is deeply personal, but it's never meant to stay private. Those who truly encounter Jesus can't help but make it known. Not because public confession saves you, but because genuine transformation inevitably becomes visible.
Here's the challenging question: Is it possible to build what appears to be a great Christian life—church attendance, ministry involvement, religious vocabulary—without actually being transformed by Christ? Yes. And those are the ones Jesus will deny, despite their protests: "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?"
The call isn't to religious activity. It's to lose your life. To let Jesus become your treasure, your hope, your worship, your purpose, your God.
Reflection Questions:
Prayer: Jesus, I don't want a religious façade. I want genuine transformation. Search my heart and reveal where I'm going through motions without true surrender. I acknowledge You not just with my words but with my life. Be my Lord in every area. Transform me from the inside out.
Reading: Matthew 10:32-33; Romans 10:9-13; 2 Timothy 2:11-13
Devotional:
"So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven."
There are only two options. No middle ground. No neutral territory. Either we acknowledge Jesus or we deny Him. Either He acknowledges us or He denies us. The stakes couldn't be higher.
But what does it mean to "acknowledge" Jesus? It's far more than intellectual assent or a one-time prayer. It's not simply fire insurance—a ticket out of hell while you continue living for yourself. True acknowledgment is ordering your entire life around your relationship with Him.
It begins with repentance and faith. Repentance isn't a religious ritual; it's a radical reorientation. In fear of God, you acknowledge your sin, feel genuine remorse, turn from it, and ask forgiveness. Faith is the other side of the coin—trusting that Jesus has paid for that forgiveness and offers it freely, then making Him Lord of your life.
This decision is deeply personal, but it's never meant to stay private. Those who truly encounter Jesus can't help but make it known. Not because public confession saves you, but because genuine transformation inevitably becomes visible.
Here's the challenging question: Is it possible to build what appears to be a great Christian life—church attendance, ministry involvement, religious vocabulary—without actually being transformed by Christ? Yes. And those are the ones Jesus will deny, despite their protests: "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?"
The call isn't to religious activity. It's to lose your life. To let Jesus become your treasure, your hope, your worship, your purpose, your God.
Reflection Questions:
- Is your acknowledgment of Jesus merely verbal, or does it shape how you actually live?
- Where might you be building a "religious life" without experiencing genuine transformation?
- What would it look like for Jesus to be the "chief end for which you exist"?
Prayer: Jesus, I don't want a religious façade. I want genuine transformation. Search my heart and reveal where I'm going through motions without true surrender. I acknowledge You not just with my words but with my life. Be my Lord in every area. Transform me from the inside out.