"Lord," said the disciples, "we have given up everything to serve you..."

Jesus answered and told them that whoever gave up anything for the Kingdom of heaven and for His Gospel would be rewarded 100 times over and inherit eternal life.

What are we willing to give up in order to be blessed with God's abundance of God's blessings? Can we give up our pride? Our staunch belief that we are somehow more righteous than the 'next guy'? Can we discard our prejudices and in turn be filled with love for lost sinners? What say we to the declaration of God to His people that He HIMSELF would change their hearts and take out the old stone, replacing it with warm and beating and LIVING flesh? Is it not GOD and Him ALONE that maketh those that live to live? Have we received of all His fullness, and grace upon grace? Let us examine ourselves, dear Christian family. Let us cry out to God, not shame-facedly (there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ) but in a holy fear and hatred of all that is remaining in us which displeases our Lord and Master! Let us cry out to Him not to RECIEVE the promised new heart (it is ours by faith in Christ) but to REALIZE its effective operation in us! O God, great in mercy and slow to anger! Pour forth again Thy power to change us, and make us ever more like thy own dear Son. Give to us the grace to abhor that which is hateful in Thine eyes, and grant to us a love of the lost and dying sinner that would see them rescued from a sure death without the anchor of Christ's Cross to hold them fast against the tide! Make us vessels of Thy holy love that desires not compromise, but instead, boldness and truth where error now reigns! grant that we might be living and breathing examples of the truth of Thy saving grace, and that we might in truth be that exceeding great army which Ezekiel saw; not just flesh and bone, but filled with Thy breath and living by Thy might. In the Name of Christ we ask and for Thy glory and Kingdom alone. Amen.