Luke 9:51-62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62) Why did Jesus say to the would-be disciple that he can’t go take care of his family?  Jesus seems to be alluding to a story from 1 Kings 19:19-21 when Elijah saw his …

Philippians 3:14-4:3 But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20) “We are citizens of heaven”, says the Apostle Paul in verse 20.  Many people believe that Paul is talking about going to heaven when we die, however, that is not what he is talking about.  In order to …

Philippians 3:7-14 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (Phil. 3:8a) What do you value most in your life?   Paul uses the accounting terms of profit and loss in verse 7 to compare his former values to his current values. Formerly, Paul’s identity as a Jew and his …