December 3rd 2025, Devotional

LIVING WATER VINEYARD DEVOTION

Wednesday, December 3, 2025

“WHEN ‘WHENEVER’ BECOMES ‘NEVER’” ⏳➡️🙏

In Luke 9, Jesus is walking along a dusty road 🚶‍♂️🌿 — leaving the crowds behind, heading toward Jerusalem with purpose.

As He walks, a man approaches… and Jesus does something shocking:

He calls him.

“Follow Me.”

This is radical.

In the Jewish world, a rabbi never asked someone to follow — disciples asked him.

And rabbis only picked the best of the best.

But Jesus chooses the ordinary.

The imperfect.

The distracted.

The hesitant.

This road-walker wasn’t rejected — he was invited.

But his answer reveals something:

“Lord, first let me go and bury my father…”

If his father had died that day, he wouldn’t be standing there talking with Jesus. Burial always happened the same day.

What he meant was:

“Lord, I’ll follow You… just not right now.”

In other words, this man is a fan, not a follower.

A Fan Says:

   •   “I love Jesus — as long as it doesn’t interrupt my plans.”

   •   “I’ll obey once life calms down.”

   •   “I’m with Jesus… unless it costs something.”

A Follower Says:

👉 “Jesus, whatever You ask, whenever You ask… my answer is yes.”

The man on the road liked Jesus.

He admired Jesus.

But he didn’t want Jesus to lead him.

Whenever… became never.

Jesus wasn’t harsh — He was exposing the delay hiding in this man’s heart.

And Jesus is still exposing the same delay in ours today.

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DIETRICH BONHOEFFER — THE MOMENT A FAN BECAME A FOLLOWER ✝️🔥

Dietrich Bonhoeffer is remembered as a courageous pastor, martyr, and prophetic voice.

But he didn’t start that way.

He grew up brilliant, polished, respected — almost the perfect theologian.

But his early life leaned more toward being a fan of Christianity than a cross-bearing follower.

Everything changed in a single defining season.

THE CONVERSATION THAT BROKE HIM OPEN

While studying in New York in 1930–31, Bonhoeffer visited the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, led by Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Sr.

One day, after a powerful worship service, an elderly Black believer approached him and said words that pierced him:

“Young man, it is not enough to know about God — you must follow Him. And when you follow Him, you will stand where others refuse to stand.”

Those words became Bonhoeffer’s Luke 9 moment.

Not later.

Not someday.

Now.

He later wrote that it was the first time he felt the cost of discipleship — and the call to identify with suffering people.

WHAT HE SAW IN HARLEM CHANGED HIM

He witnessed:

   •   racial injustice

   •   poverty and segregation

   •   faith in the middle of suffering

   •   worship that carried both weeping and joy

He heard the spirituals — songs that rose from chains, sorrow, and endurance.

They spoke of following Jesus no matter the cost.

They awakened something deep in him.

This time in Harlem turned Bonhoeffer from a fan of Christianity into a committed follower of Christ.

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A HEROIC RESCUE MOMENT — THE NIGHT BONHOEFFER RISKED EVERYTHING 🚪🕯️

One documented story from the Bonhoeffer family illustrates the depth of his obedience.

A young Jewish musician — a violinist — was on the run after his family was arrested.

He had no papers.

No place to hide.

Every checkpoint meant death.

Late at night, Bonhoeffer arrived at a safe house with forged documents hidden inside a hymnal.

Softly, he whispered:

“Tonight we walk in darkness, but Christ walks with us.”

He gave the man instructions:

   •   which guards took bribes

   •   which alleyways were patrolled

   •   where false names must be used

   •   which families were safe

Bonhoeffer risked arrest, torture, and execution just by being there.

But to him, it wasn’t heroism — it was obedience.

Just simple, costly obedience.

The young man escaped — and lived.

Because Bonhoeffer chose to follow Jesus now, not later.

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THE PLOT AGAINST HITLER & BONHOEFFER’S FINAL YES ⚔️✝️

Bonhoeffer eventually joined a conspiracy against Hitler (Operation Valkyrie).

He knew it could cost him everything — and it did.

In 1945, just weeks before the end of the war, he was executed at Flossenbürg concentration camp.

The camp doctor said:

“I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God.”

He wasn’t a fan.

He was a follower — to the final breath.

His “whenever” became now.

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THE CALL FOR US TODAY 🧭❤️

Jesus still says:

“Follow Me.”

Not:

   •   “Follow Me when life settles down.”

   •   “Follow Me when you feel stronger.”

   •   “Follow Me when your problems are solved.”

No —

He calls you right where you are.

In the mess.

In weakness.

In uncertainty.

From “someday” to today.

Jesus isn’t looking for fans.

He’s calling for followers.

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REFLECTION QUESTIONS 📝

1. Where have I been telling Jesus, “Later… when life settles down”?

2. What fear or delay is keeping me in the place of being a fan rather than a follower?

3. What step of courageous obedience is Jesus calling me to take today?

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CLOSING PRAYER

Lord Jesus,

I don’t want to delay Your call anymore.

I don’t want to be a fan — I want to be a follower.

Give me courage to follow You now — not later, not someday.

Break hesitation, fear, and excuses.

Give me a willing heart like Bonhoeffer, who trusted You even when the cost was high.

Today, Jesus, my answer is yes.

Amen.