“A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, ‘If you want to be My disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison – your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot by My disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow Me, you cannot by My disciple.” (Luke 14:25-27)
Knowing what I now know about Jesus and having walked with Him for more than 60 years, I have no issues, qualms or reservations in saying “yes, and amen” to His above instructions, but what if you’d been in His original audience and knew almost nothing about Him? Pretty heavy stuff! Or is it? Hate in this context, as this translation conveys, is a comparative term, not an absolute instruction. We are commanded to love and obey our parents and to love our children.
But what is the first Commandment? “You must not have any other god but Me.” Who and what we love most, for all intent and purpose, is our god. To love anyone or anything more than Jesus is blasphemous and idolatrous. Love for others must flow from our love of the Lord.
Jesus hasn’t invited us to put Him in our “Top Ten” list, but to put Him first and foremost in everything we do, say, or even think. He doesn’t desire to be our pal; He demands to be our Lord and Master. He hasn’t asked us to place Him among our family and friends, but to put Him above everything else and all others. But what, in practical application, does putting Him first in everything really mean?
The two most relevant areas of our lives where our allegiance to Jesus is tested is how we view money and time. Is it our money or His? Does Jesus have Lordship over our time or do we? And even if we agree that He owns everything including our time and money, what might it look like to recognize His Lordship over those things?
The Old Testament minimum guideline for giving was 10%, but under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, there really is no minimum. R. G. LeTourneau was a Christian Industrialist, inventor, and entrepreneur who gave 90% of his income to missions and ministry, living on only 10% for his own needs. “Yeh, but his 10% is still a lot more than what I have!” Have you ever stopped to think about how much more you’d have if you were more generous with what you DO have?
The same is true with our time. Years ago, I heard someone say that we have all the time we need to accomplish everything the Lord has called us to do if we do it efficiently. Too many times, we talk a lot yet work very little in accomplishing the plans of God. Perhaps a reasonable question would be: “What is God’s will for my life?” The short answer is to live a holy life, but the details of how the Lord is going to have you live that out are really the fruit of believing prayer.
Here’s the truth: if you want to know what God wants you to do, ask Him, then listen carefully as you read and study His Word for clues. First, look up! If we’re not listening to the Lord and seeking His face, we’ll never know or understand His will for our lives. Then look around! With whom do I live, work, go to school, socialize, know casually – neighbors, classmates, co-workers, those with whom I do recreation, etc.
The Lord may call you to a foreign land, but it’s not likely if you’re not making an impact on those you live around right now. The Lord doesn’t call us to love Him AMONG others, but ABOVE all others, then share Him with everyone in our spheres of influence. The more we prioritize His life and love in and through the way we live, the more effective we will be in allowing Him to share His life and love through us.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
