“Whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:33)

We don’t much like to dwell on warnings because we think they’ll get in the way of enjoying life, but it’s imperative to pay attention to them. For instance, Jesus gave us a very clear warning while sending out His disciples to proclaim God’s coming kingdom. He said, “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”

it’s simple, we have a choice. In love, God provided a Savior and a plan for us to be in His presence for eternity. But if we turn away from God and choose to reject His message of salvation and the real life He offers for both now and forever, we lose out on the opportunity to be with Him.

May we always trust in Jesus, the One who chose to save us from being eternally separated from the One who loves and made us.

Daily Questions

1. Why is rejecting Jesus such a serious thing?
2. How have you chosen to respond to His call?

Daily Thoughts

Heavenly Father, thank You for providing salvation through Jesus. And thank You for sending warnings to remind us of the importance of putting our faith in Him and only Him.

Matthew 10: 1-7, 32-33

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.'”

“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”

Bonus Information

As with other lists of Jesus’ disciples in the Gospels, in Matthew’s account, Simon Peter appears first and Judas Iscariot last. Among these special agents who became the foundation stones for the church were Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot. Under normal circumstances, these two wouldn’t likely be part of the same group. The tax collectors were Israelites who were employed by the Roman government to collect taxes from their own countrymen. They had a reputation for extortion and because of this constant contact with gentiles were considered ceremonially unclean. On the other hand, before being called by Jesus, Simon the Zealot, was in some way associated with a group of devoted Jewish patriots who were resistant to Roman rule and even resorted to violence. Both however, were on Jesus’ core team. Amazing.