If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and
mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also….
likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My
disciple. —Luke 14:26-27, 33
“If the closest relationships of a disciple’s life conflict
with the claims of Jesus Christ, then our Lord requires instant obedience to
Himself. Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person— our Lord
Jesus Christ. … To be a disciple is to be a devoted bondservant motivated by
love for the Lord Jesus. Many of us who call ourselves Christians are not truly
devoted to Jesus Christ.” OSWALD CHAMBERS
What are you willing to give up for your faith .. to follow
Jesus in obedience to what He has called you to do? Do you remember the first time you did
something even though you were afraid to do it?
Maybe jumping into a swimming pool at the deep end. With your eyes open! That is a trivial
example, but doing that required you to go against what your mind was telling
you not to do. In a similar way, we face
that battle when the Lord calls us to do something that our mind is telling us
not to do. Jesus did not say you must
hate your family and friends. He did say
your love for them as compared to your love for Him should look like hate because
there is such a huge difference between them. God will always ask you to jump into the deep end
of the pool … trusting Him alone. He
will and does ask you to abandon your earthly affections in favor of your heavenly
ones. Each of us know exactly what those
are in our lives. Maybe it means to
leave your nets and the family business like Peter and John. Maybe to stop associating with some people or
stop doing some things. It’s different
for each of us but requires the same faith by all of us.
You can’t do what God asks of you on your own. God never asks you to do anything for Him on
your own. He says follow My Son. When you jump into the pool you are holding
Jesus’ hand. Oh, that just reminded me
of a song … please indulge me for a moment .. Charley
“As I travel through this pilgrim land .. There is a friend
who walks with me
Leads me safely through the sinking sand … It is the Christ
at Calvary
This would be my prayer, dear Lord, each day .. You help me
do the best I can
For I need Thy light to guide me day and night … Blessed
Jesus, hold my hand
Jesus, hold my hand … For I need Thee every hour
Through this pilgrim land … Protect me by Thy power
Hear my feeble plea O Lord, look down on me
When I kneel in prayer I hope to meet You there
Blessed Jesus, hold my hand” Albert E. Brumley, Jr.
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