DEVOTED: It's All About Priorities

September 28, 2025

"Your priorities must be God first, God second, and God third, until your life is continually face to face with God."

–Oswald Chambers

IN THIS EMAIL

Shout Out: Parent Child Dedication

Try This: Scripture Study–Letting the Bible Read You

Bible Discovery: Luke 9:51-62

SHOUT OUT

Devoted followers of Christ at DCC

Shoutout to our DCC parents and Kids' Ministry leaders!

Recently, we hosted a special online conversation for parents about what it means to dedicate their kids (and themselves) to a life of following Jesus.

We believe that when the church and the home get in sync, families don't just get stronger, but kids grow up into their full potential to be world-changers.

From Kristina (Kids' Ministry Director): "We would love to invite any of our church family to encourage and support these families and children at our next Parent-Child Dedication at 10 am on Saturday, October 11. "

Thanks for supporting the next generation at Door Creek Church!

TRY THIS

Fresh ideas for spiritual growth

Scripture Study—Letting the Bible Read You

The point of studying Scripture isn't to just read the Bible, it's letting the Bible read you. In its pages, we see our brokenness and sin, yet we also encounter the Good News of our belovedness. In God’s Word, we find strength, comfort, peace, satisfaction and meaning. While we wait for Christ’s return, God continues to speak through Scripture.

Hebrews 5 reminds us that it is not acceptable to be unambitious in our spiritual lives. Just as our bodies cannot survive on milk alone, our souls cannot grow if we are content with surface-level nourishment. We need the “meat and potatoes” of Scripture—serious study, deeper understanding and openness to the Spirit’s guidance. This week, I challenge you to assess your personal study of God’s Word.

In Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster outlines four key aspects of study. Each offers a lens to reflect on your own habits.

Repetition

We’re always being shaped by what we repeatedly consume—social media, music, news. How much more powerful it is when we repeatedly encounter Scripture. True transformation begins here.

Ask Yourself: What occupies most of my mind, God's Word or something else?

Practical Steps: Start your day with Scripture before screens. Set a “Scripture alarm” as a reminder. Memorize verses and revisit them throughout the day. Listen to the Bible on your commute or while doing chores.

Concentration

Colossians 3:16 calls us to let the Word dwell richly in us. That requires focus.

Ask Yourself: What keeps me from dedicating time to the focused study of Scripture?

Practical Steps: Designate a quiet place for study. Silence your phone. Use a physical Bible. Pray before reading and ask the Spirit to help you pay attention.

Comprehension

“Comprehension leads to insight and discernment.” Growth comes as we wrestle with Scripture and pursue understanding.

Ask Yourself: Am I growing in my ability to understand the Bible for myself?

Practical Steps: Read smaller sections more deeply. Write down questions. Use trustworthy tools like The Bible Project, The Gospel Coalition, or accessible commentaries. Join a study group or learn from a mentor.

Reflection

Reflection moves truth from the head to the heart. It’s where knowledge becomes wisdom and obedience.

Ask Yourself: Am I rushing the process or allowing time to apply what I'm learning?

Practical Steps: Journal your responses. End your reading with silence. Ask questions like, What does this teach me about God? What does it reveal about my heart? What needs to change? Pray Scripture back to God, letting His words shape your prayers.

Richard Foster reminds us, “Study produces joy…the greater our proficiency, the greater our joy.” Let’s be a people who hunger for true nourishment and feast on the living Word!

BIBLE DISCOVERY

Get more out of the message

LUKE: Cost of Discipleship

Luke 9:51-62

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We’re diving back into the Gospel of Luke. After nine chapters introducing us to Jesus and His call, Luke now takes us with Him on the road to Jerusalem (Luke 9–19). Along the way, we’ll hear some of Jesus’ most famous teachings and stories, as He shows us what it truly costs to follow Him and why following Him is worth everything.

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The Big Idea

(What is the author's point?)

What should our highest priority be? Proclaiming the Kingdom of God is worth more than status, comfort, security or relationships.

Why It Matters

(Why is this relevant to us?)

Have you ever seen a couple at a restaurant waste their time together by scrolling on their phones? Or reached the end of a busy day only to realize you never touched the project that mattered most? That’s the tension Luke 9:51-62 presses on: it’s possible to fill your life with good activity and still miss the one thing that matters—participating in and proclaiming the Kingdom of God.

At the close of chapter 9, Luke names four distractions that keep Jesus’ followers from wholehearted devotion: status (thinking our group is more deserving of God’s mercy than others, vv. 54-55), comfort (avoiding risk and suffering, vv. 57-58), security (placing wealth or family stability above Jesus, vv. 59-60) and relationships (planting our deepest roots in friends, family or romance instead of Christ (vv. 61-62).

Jesus doesn’t deny that these things have value, but He does force us to examine our priorities. His call is urgent: Don’t waste your life. Where will we find our truest identity, security and belonging? Will we settle into the default values of our culture, or will we see the Kingdom of God for what it truly is—worthy of our highest priority and deepest love?

Good to Know

(What are some helpful insights into this passage?)

“He set his face” (v. 51) – Jesus began walking toward the cross with eyes wide open. He knew He was going to Jerusalem to suffer, die and rise again.

“A village of the Samaritans” (v. 52) – Good Jews usually bypassed Samaria by traveling east of the Jordan. Why? The animosity was deep: Samaritans used their own Bible and rejected Jerusalem as the place of true worship.

“Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven?” (v. 54) – James and John were echoing Elijah (2 Kings 1:9-12), but were motivated by pride, revenge and moral superiority. Jesus rebuked them because His mission in His first coming was not judgment but salvation (John 3:17).

“They went on to another village” (v. 56) – By seeking out Samaritans, Jesus reinforced that the Good News is for all people. Yet, in line with His teaching in 9:5, He moved on when rejected.

“The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (v. 58) – The title recalls Daniel 7:13-14, where the Son of Man receives eternal dominion. If even He faced rejection and homelessness, His followers should expect the same.

“Let me first go and bury my father” (v. 59) – This likely did not mean an immediate funeral. Burial customs could last up to a year. Scholars suggest three possibilities:

The father had not yet died, and the man wanted to wait for his inheritance.
The father had died, but the burial process was ongoing.
The father had just died, and Jesus was calling for radical obedience.

Either way, Jesus made clear that His kingdom takes precedence over wealth, duty or family security.

“Leave the dead to bury their own dead” (v. 60) – This shocking statement was profoundly countercultural. Family obligations were sacred in Jewish society, yet Jesus claimed even higher allegiance. He was not discarding family (cf. Matt. 15:1-9) but reordering priorities around Himself.

“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back” (v. 62) – Farmers would have understood: looking back makes crooked furrows. Proclaiming the kingdom requires undivided focus and single-hearted devotion.

THIS WEEK'S

Bible Discovery Author

Lavi Lazarus

Group Guide

Following the series with your group?

Start with some icebreaker questions.
Read the passage together before you dive in.
Share any insights from the message. Use the questions below to get your conversation started:

Conversation Starters

1. Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem” (v. 51). What does it look like in your life to set your face toward God’s calling, even when it’s costly?

2. Jesus says, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (v. 62). What are some ways you’re tempted to “look back,” and how might you keep your eyes forward?

3. Which of the "good-but-not-best" distractions in this passage—status, comfort, security or relationships—most easily pulls you away from wholehearted devotion to Jesus?

4. Reflect on our political moment. How does Jesus’ rebuke of James and John challenge the way we think about our enemies?

5. If following Jesus means risk, loss and rejection in this life, what helps you remember that it’s still worth it?

6. What's one practical step you can take this week that will help you become a more devoted follower of Christ?

Prayer

Jesus, open our eyes to see the beauty and value of your Kingdom. Please reveal the ways we are prone to wasting our lives on lesser things and help us wisely reorder our priorities to better reflect our love for you. Amen.

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