Mark 10:29-30 – Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will receive a hundred fold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Lord Jesus, it really is a difficult thing to follow you. It means to leave behind everything that matters to me and to consider it a small thing next to holding on to you. It means to consider my family to be a small thing because you are a big thing. It means to consider my property a small thing because you are my all in all. It means to risk my life, limb and safety for your sake because you are one and only God and Savior. But this is hard because my heart gets attached to all these things. It is hard for my heart to truly hold you as my number one when I grow attracted and attached to all these things. But Lord Jesus, I see where you’re going with this. When I value you as my number one, then I am really free to enjoy all these other gifts. When I have you, then I really find joy in these gifts of grace from you. Lord Jesus, help me to break my love affair with the things of this world and people in my life so that you are my everything. Then, help me to enjoy these people and these things as the gifts from you that they are. Help me also to endure whatever persecution and hardship comes because of my devotion to you alone. Amen.