Now, today's devotional isn't one of those "feel good and walk away happy" messages that makes the big bucks. This is one of those messages that people treat like it has some kind of disease. But if Jesus would proclaim this message with no regard for whether or not it would please people then I shall endeavor to do the same. With that disclosure, let's jump straight in:
Luke 14:26-27
[Jesus said,] "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even is own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple."
In America, what we typically describe as "following Jesus" is saying a prayer, signing a paper and starting to attend church. But we find no such thing here in what Jesus says. His message wasn't, "Realize that you're a sinner, apologize to God and accept me into your heart." His message was, "Following me will be pricey; it'll cost you everything; nothing else will cost you anywhere as much as this will." Jesus said that following Him was more than just "inviting Him to live in your heart;" it was submitting everything you have to Him in surrender. His message went so far as to say, "If your love for me doesn't make your love for all your closest relatives look like hatred in comparison, you can't follow me." He was up front with them; He didn't try to trick them into following Him; He gave full disclosure of the cost. But if that wasn't enough, He went even further to say, "Whoever does not bear his own cross [an instrument of torture] and come after me cannot be my disciple." That would be like Him saying, "Whoever does not take up his own guillotine and follow me can't be my disciple." That's not a soft message, and it certainly isn't the message America likes to hear.
You see, Jesus is saying here that if you want to follow Him, you have to give up everything. A good example of this would be some of His first disciples; He was walking past Peter and Andrew (who were fishermen) and told them to follow Him. They literally dropped everything they were in the middle of doing to follow Him; they left their family, their career and everything they had known to follow this man named Jesus. Now Jesus tells us the same thing; leave everything you know and follow me. He asks you to give up your everything. It's not rational, it's not logical, but it's what He's required. If we desire to be His disciples, He demands our all.
Now is where many will say, "Well, that's good and all, but it's not for me; that's for the 'super Christians.'" But this isn't for any such "super Christians;" this is what Jesus tells to anyone who wants to follow Him. Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it so well when he described Jesus' call: "When Christ calls on a man, He bids him come and die." That is the offer set before us today: an offer to come, die to ourselves and live in Him.
Now you have a decision set before you: Which do you want more, this world or God? You can't have both; you can have the world and lose your soul, or you can lose this world and gain the treasures of Christ. No longer let us stay somewhere in between dedication and insincerity! Let us make our decision this day who it is that we will serve.
Luke 14:26-27
[Jesus said,] "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even is own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple."
In America, what we typically describe as "following Jesus" is saying a prayer, signing a paper and starting to attend church. But we find no such thing here in what Jesus says. His message wasn't, "Realize that you're a sinner, apologize to God and accept me into your heart." His message was, "Following me will be pricey; it'll cost you everything; nothing else will cost you anywhere as much as this will." Jesus said that following Him was more than just "inviting Him to live in your heart;" it was submitting everything you have to Him in surrender. His message went so far as to say, "If your love for me doesn't make your love for all your closest relatives look like hatred in comparison, you can't follow me." He was up front with them; He didn't try to trick them into following Him; He gave full disclosure of the cost. But if that wasn't enough, He went even further to say, "Whoever does not bear his own cross [an instrument of torture] and come after me cannot be my disciple." That would be like Him saying, "Whoever does not take up his own guillotine and follow me can't be my disciple." That's not a soft message, and it certainly isn't the message America likes to hear.
You see, Jesus is saying here that if you want to follow Him, you have to give up everything. A good example of this would be some of His first disciples; He was walking past Peter and Andrew (who were fishermen) and told them to follow Him. They literally dropped everything they were in the middle of doing to follow Him; they left their family, their career and everything they had known to follow this man named Jesus. Now Jesus tells us the same thing; leave everything you know and follow me. He asks you to give up your everything. It's not rational, it's not logical, but it's what He's required. If we desire to be His disciples, He demands our all.
Now is where many will say, "Well, that's good and all, but it's not for me; that's for the 'super Christians.'" But this isn't for any such "super Christians;" this is what Jesus tells to anyone who wants to follow Him. Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it so well when he described Jesus' call: "When Christ calls on a man, He bids him come and die." That is the offer set before us today: an offer to come, die to ourselves and live in Him.
Now you have a decision set before you: Which do you want more, this world or God? You can't have both; you can have the world and lose your soul, or you can lose this world and gain the treasures of Christ. No longer let us stay somewhere in between dedication and insincerity! Let us make our decision this day who it is that we will serve.