“Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. ‘I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your own household!’ If you love your father or mother more than you love Me, you are not worthy of being Mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than Me, you are not worthy of being Mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow Me, you are not worthy of being Mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for Me, you will find it.” (Matthew 10:34-39 NLT)
To me these are some of the most disturbing words of Jesus and can be easily misunderstood if taken out of context. My sense is we can see and understand these verses most clearly in light of what I was seeking to share in yesterday’s article. The ultimate killer of our spiritual life and ultimately our relationship with Jesus isn’t anything or anyone outside ourselves, it’s our perception of the role those things or people play in us getting what we want.
So, the logical question becomes: “What do you or I truly want?” Or, unfortunately, like Judas, “What do we THINK we want?” Judas thought he wanted money. He thought if he could get what he had coming to him, his “fair share”, he’d be happy, but the value of what He gave up was not to be compared and he ultimately understood that. But rather than seek forgiveness, he took matters into his own hands and sent himself into a Christless eternity.
Unfortunately, that’s what millions of would-be Jesus followers are doing to themselves today. We’re choosing ourselves and our wants and desires over our devotion to the Lord Jesus. It’s not that we don’t love Jesus, it’s that He just gets in our way sometimes in getting what WE want. That’s what Jesus was addressing in the verses above.
Sometimes our “goal” as a Jesus follower isn’t to do His will, but to get Him to do our will. We want a spouse, family, job, new house, car, or a thousand other things. What better way to get our way than to “pray about it.” Sounds “spiritual” enough, but what’s out motivation. Ultimately, when we’re honest, those things aren’t desires we believe will bring us closer to Jesus, they’re things that will satisfy us and, we reason, will make us happier.
The fact is, NOTHING! No THING or PERSON can MAKE US HAPPY! Happiness isn’t the result of anything external; it only grows out of our intimacy with Jesus that changes how we see and sense things from the inside out. That’s why so many very wealthy people kill themselves, because ultimately, always getting OUR way is Satan’s plan for our destruction. That’s what Satan was trying to give Jesus when he showed Him all the kingdoms of the world – everything the world had to offer! But, gratefully, the Lord said “NO!” and we must also.
But here’s the irony. We don’t want it “ALL,” we just want what we want, but Satan never satisfies that desire, he only fuels it, so we want more, and more, and more. Until we, like Jesus, come to terms with the devil and settle that in our heart and mind once and for all, we’ll always be constantly seeking for what we’ll only find in Jesus. Until HE IS our ALL-IN-ALL, then, as Judas tragically discovered, nothing of this world will ever satisfy our heart’s desires and our soul’s eternal need.
The ultimate killer of our soul isn’t “out there”, in another person or thing, it’s “in HERE!” It’s in our own heart and mind, it’s what we believe will satisfy our deep longings. But here’s the kicker – we will never fully know what that is until we meet and find our full satisfaction in Jesus. The better we get to know and love Him; the greater measure of intimacy we have with Him, the greater our level of satisfaction in knowing there’s nothing this world can offer that will truly satisfy like knowing, loving, and giving our life in pursuit of serving our Savior Jesus. I don’t need or want my way. I only want what He wants for me. How about you?
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 