“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 his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” Lk 14:25-33
Selfishness is at the heart of mankind. Our devotion seems always motivated by ‘what is there for us?’ A large following is not without a motive to gain something. But Jesus turned to the crowd, as if he knew their purpose for following Him (and he did), he said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” Those who heard this knew they had to put Christ first and also die to themselves to be His followers. Let us highlight the points:
- Cost of being a disciple– As in planning and budgeting, we are looking at what we want to do and what it will cost us to accomplish it. You must count the cost, if you have sufficient resources before you set out to execute. Jesus wanted his followers to count the cost of following Him. What will it cost to follow Jesus? Complete Obedience in all things! Are you willing to give the LORD complete obedience in all He demands of you? If not, you cannot be his disciple. Stop playing games. You are either in or out.
- Christ must be first– To ‘hate’ here does not mean to show ill will toward our loved ones. That will contradict the great commandment- “love your neighbour as yourself.” But it means to put God first in every considerations that relate to them. Sometimes the consequences may seem negative to them, but at other times it will be positive. Regardless, God must be the underlying factor. In society, if God-to do what He wants is the first consideration in all our actions, you can be sure, the world will be a better place.
Application Questions
- In what areas of your life are you not giving Christ complete obedience?
- How will thinking about what God wants make a difference in your relationships?