How shrewd are you with finances? How do we make the most of our resources?   And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. Luke 16:9 ESV   Notice how this guy was commended for stealing from the master to make friends for himself. Why would Jesus tell a story where this guy comes out ahead?   I can only conclude one thing. Notice that none of that money belonged to the manager. How much of your money belongs to you? Is your answer was "none," you'd be right. Everything belongs to God. We only get to manage it for a time.   Do we do a good job of using the wealth God has given us to make friends for eternity? I'd like to do a better job of using the wealth and resources.   What things come to mind when you ask the Holy Spirit this question today? How does he want you to use the resources he has given you? What more can you do? Can you buy a lunch or a coffee? Can you give more freely? What can we do to live like we know what God wants us to do?   Today, lets use the resources given to us by God for his glory. As you get ideas, do them. Then, join us in the Follower of One online community and share those ideas. Let us know what happened. Invite another believing friend to join you. Use the masters stuff to make friends for eternity, not just to get out of trouble.   Even if you're too busy, there are things you can do. You could make a gift to Follower of One. We have a matching gift donor who is matching new gifts (or new amounts given) to Follower of One through October 31, or until we receive an additional $25,000. Would you consider making a contribution? Your gift will be doubled as long as you are in that first $25,000 that we raise. Thanks very much.

What do you do when you're joyfully surprised?   And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. Luke 15:20 ESV   Elder heads of families didn't run in Jesus time. Running is what the immature and the afraid would do. In this parable, the father saw his lost son coming back home. He was looking. He saw him while he was still very far away, and he ran to see him.   The father in this story represents God. The sun represents us, every one of us. We're all some distance from God. When we turn to him, he sees it and he runs to close the gap.   Whatever distance that might exist between You and God, you can change it. He's watching and even though you're a long way off, the minute you turn to him, you're on the way to restoration. Jesus told this story. The Jewish leaders of the time would have thought the father silly, even childish. They would have looked down their noses at him.   But Jesus says our Heavenly Father longs for us to turn back. Once we do, he runs to meet us. He schedules a celebration. He's not worried about appearances. He is looking for us.   Today, let's remember the kind of love that is available to us. I hope it changes the way we love others. We are free to impersonate the Father in this story because we experienced this behavior. If you haven't then I want to challenge you to turn to God the Father even more than you already have. Resist the temptation to make demands. You know you don't like what you're doing. So, any thing God does is an improvement. Turn to him, head back toward him and then watch for him as you walk.   Around you today are others who don't want to be separated from God. Maybe you can help them imagine the joy of seeing the Father run in their direction. Anything you can do to help them move one notch closer to Jesus maters. It could be the move the Father sees. Pay attention to the people around you. Pray for them, appreciate them and serve them. And remember to have an answer ready for them when they ask.   Join us on the next Marketplace Mission Trip, too. One begins in just a few days. Why not join our online community at https://community.followerofone.org and then ask to join the next Marketplace Mission Trip using the main menu. God will use you in the lives of others. And he will give you a new joy and purpose in your everyday work. Check it out!   I also want to encourage you to check out The Morning Mindset with Carey Green. He's a friend of our ministry and he's been. inviting his listeners to join our Marketplace Mission Trip, too. Listen to today's episode at www.CareyGreen.com.

Do you ever experience times when you know you're not thinking right?   In the story of the prodigal son, the younger son asks for his inheritance and splits. Then he blows the whole thing, and ends up with a terrible job, starving. The whole story turns on this verse.   "When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger!" Luke 15:17 CSB   Is there an area of your life where you sense God wants you to come to your senses? What's involved in coming to your senses anyway?   God wants us to live according to the best we know. This person had experienced a different reality. And he realized it was within his power to re-enter the old reality, even at a lower position, and he would still be better off.   Does this apply to you in a particular area of your life? Notice how he immediately turned toward the father in this story. We'll talk about his father's response tomorrow.   Today, living according to our senses is fully within our control. Let's live up to the best we know. Let's live like we trust Jesus to do what's best. Maybe we need to get around others who are thinking and living up their best. One of our friends, Carey Green has another podcast called the Morning Mindset. Check it out at www.CareyGreen.com.   Another way to get around others who are chasing Jesus, would be to join our online community. Head over to https://Community.FollowerofOne.org and join our community and take part in the next Marketplace Mission Trip, too!

What does Jesus mean when he tells us to repent?   "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:5 ESV   The Jewish people were hung up on acting correctly. For hundreds of years, they concentrated on doing the right things the right way. In the middle of an interaction with a group of people, someone asks Jesus about some Jews who were killed and their blood was mixed in with the sacrifices.   This would have been particularly difficult. The Romans thought their rules were silly anyway. They only tolerated the Jewish laws because they happened inside the Roman law. How is it that God would allow these terrible things to happen to good people? I believe this is what the Jews were asking Jesus.   We ask this question today, too. Why do bad things happen to seemingly good people?   Jesus doesn't directly answer the question here. He does address the question of whether or not these people were worse than any others by simply saying "No!" Then, Jesus simply suggests that unless they repent, they would have something similar happen to them. And he does this twice, both in verse 3 and in verse 5. He repeats himself.   Jews repeated themselves for emphasis. We do it too. Jesus is emphasizing the idea that unless we repent, we will "likewise perish." We will cease to exist in a similar fashion. Most every translation says the same thing.   So what is repentance and what does Jesus mean? It seems pretty important since it's the only idea Jesus gives here. If we don't repent, we will perish.   Repentance is to change your mind. You thought one thing, but now you think something different. It seems to suggest here and elsewhere in the New Testament that our life was a pursuit of something, and when we repent, we change our mind and our direction and pursue something else. I used to chase full-time after my own goals and my own life outcomes. I was my own authority. But I changed and now I pursue what Jesus wants of me. I realized that I'm not the ultimate decision-maker when it comes to my own personal success. The one who created me had a purpose and I'm now trying to discover and fulfill that purpose.   And that changes the way I interact with others. I now want to cooperate with Jesus and do what he says. I've changed direction. I believe that's the repentance Jesus is referring to in this passage.   What about you? Have you made the decision to chase after Jesus and what he wants? Then join me. Let's pray today and ask him to show us where we can change our behavior?   Maybe you'd like to join our online community. We are a group of people who follow Jesus. We like to help one another. There is strength in numbers. Join us at https://community.followerofone.org.   Don't forget to join us on the next Marketplace Mission Trip, too. One starts in just a few days. Head over to https://MarketplaceMissionTrip.com to request an invitation or if you're a member of the community, just go to Mission Trips and sign up for the next trip.

Who do you want to win the big game?   "For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." Luke 9:26 ESV   I hope this isn't a one-time thing. In my past, I've missed opportunities to tell others about Jesus. Fortunately, Jesus paid for my mistakes. But if I'm not one of Jesus' people, I can expect this kind of rejection one day. You might think me a bit cruel in this, but I didn't say it. Jesus did.   I want to choose moment by moment to listen to and do what Jesus says. That's where his kingdom is. His kingdom is the place where people do what he says. I want to stay in that kingdom. As I listen to Jesus, I'm there. As I choose to do what he would want, I'm there.   If I'm one of his children, I won't experience any separation from God. When Jesus takes his throne, I get to be there. I won't be shut out.   Want to practice life following Jesus? Join us for a Marketplace Mission Trip. You can request an invitation to this at www.MarketplaceMissionTrip.com.   Also, don't forget to check out my friend Carey Green's Morning Mindset Podcast. You can listen to today's episode at www.CareyGreen.com or on your favorite podcast listener.

Dr. Chip Roper, entrepreneur and executive coach, discusses the mission and vision of the VOCA Center, offering professional solutions rooted in Biblical wisdom. Topics include choosing projects, their coaching program, experiences of women in the workplace, and the value of coaching and self-discovery.

What is your net worth?   "For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?" Luke 9:25 ESV   One of the recurring questions I experience in life is what would happen if I gave more of my stuff to help others. I use the phrase "my stuff" because I grew up in the days of George Carlin. Our "stuff" is a reference to our possessions, our riches, our things. I wonder what would have happened if I had given more of it away.   Jesus is in this series of statements that we've been discussing for a few days now. We live in a world where we know that one day, our money will be worthless. I heard someone once describe it as owning the currency of a government that was about to be overthrown. We know the end is coming. So why would we hold on to the money? Why wouldn't we take all of the old money and purchase things that would have a value in the new economy.   This is exactly what Jesus is questioning here. What good is it if we accumulate a bunch of wealth today that will be worthless tomorrow? How silly would we feel? Many of us work our whole lives to save up money and have a lot of stuff. Then we die and it all goes to someone else. If we do this in the extreme, we forfeit ourselves, according to Jesus.   We have another Marketplace Mission Trip coming up in just a few days. This is a 2-week exercise to practice following Jesus rather than forfeiting ourselves. Check it out and request an invitation at www.MarketplaceMissionTrip.com.

Would you like to make the most of your life?   "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it." Luke 9:24 CSB   How can we save our life? I don't know first hand, but I'm pretty sure everyone who ever lived has transitioned out of this life. Some believe the story just ends. The Bible teaches that we have a life that lasts forever. We begin enjoying that life when we trust Jesus. We can live that life enjoying ourselves or not. It's our choice. We only need to make one choice. We choose to follow Jesus and we get to enjoy that life from that moment and forever. If we never trust Jesus, we miss out.   Would you like to enjoy life forever? For me to read this verse and it make sense, I had to think about what Jesus was calling life. There must be some difference between the life that lasts forever and the one I'm living right now.   If I want to save my eternal life, I need to lose my temporal life. I give it away. I live following Jesus even though it doesn't seem to make sense. Just thinking in terms of my flesh, I should grab all the gusto and go for everything. I should take anything I want and put me first. But when I trust Jesus, deny myself, take up my cross and follow him, I put others ahead of myself. I serve rather than seek to be served (Mark 10:45). I consider others more important than myself (Philippians 2:3).   What will you do today?   Dont' forget to go visit and share Carey Green's Morning Mindset podcast. Head over to www.CareyGreen.com to catch today's episode.   And please join us for the next Marketplace Mission Trip. Request an invitation at www.MarketplaceMissionTrip.com.

What does it mean to "take up our cross?"   And he said to all, "if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23 ESV   Being crucified on a cross was a horrible way to die. Actually it was more of a torture that resulted in death. The Romans had made it into a science. It was hours of excruciating pain and suffocation that only eventually ended in death.   When Jesus talks about taking up a cross, he's referring to crucifixion. He's adding to the picture of denying ourselves. He's not talking about eating less, or not having sweets. He's not even talking about dying in a quick and painless way. He's talking about volunteering to die a miserable death in place of someone else. It's pretty graphic.   And he's telling his disciples this early in his ministry. He is probably thinning out the crowd. Why?   Giving up our rights to ourselves is the only way to God. Fortunately, he doesn't make us do it all at once. Fortunately Jesus' death paid for the gap between what is required and what we do. I think we can't even begin to understand how wide the gap is. All we can do is thank God that we don't have to understand. We need to trust.   When we trust God, how does that transform our day today? What can we do to be part of his calling while we're here?   If you get a chance, go check out The Morning Mindset. It's another 5-minute podcast by my friend Carey Green. Check out today's episode at www.CareyGreen.com.   Carey is inviting his audience to join us on the next Marketplace Mission Trip. We have one starting in just a couple of weeks. Request an invitation at www.MarketplaceMissionTrip.com

How often do you deny yourself of something?   And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me." Luke 9:23 NASB95   What does it mean to deny ourselves?   Our online community, Follower of One got its name from a conversation I had with some friends. The conversation was about leadership and someone said a leader was someone who "had followers." I said I never followed anyone. I don't think any leader really "has" anyone. People choose to submit, join, cooperate, invest. But "follow" always seemed like I needed to become a passive, do-what-I'm-told kind of person.   After that conversation, the Holy Spirit convicted me. If I don't follow Jesus, my life doesn't work. My eternity becomes a blooper that I can never take back. Imagine having 80 years to get something right and blowing it forever. The only right answer is to follow Jesus instead of anything else. In the end, it's following ourselves or others. We can't help but follow. Jesus didn't call us sheep all the time for no reason.   My biggest obstacle to following Jesus is me. You don't have me as an obstacle. You're too busy dealing with you. We are each our own worst enemy. That's why Jesus very clearly states in just about every translation of this passage the words, deny himself. We must tell ourselves "no!" That is step one.   But the negative isn't motivation. We need to focus on something else. We focus on Jesus and do what he did. Let's talk about that tomorrow.   Check out the Morning Mindset podcast. It's a 5-minute daily devotional podcast like Follower of One but it's done by Carey Green. Check it out at www.CareyGreen.com.   Also, why not join us and practice denying yourself. Go to www.MarketplaceMissionTrip.com and request an invitation to our next Marketplace Mission Trip.