The Cost Of Discipleship

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." - Matthew 10:34-39

Do you know someone who has been shunned by their family because of their faith? If not shunned, then perhaps minimized and relegated to the "one religious fanatic" in the family. Maybe you are that person. It is difficult to make a distinction between how the lost culture treats Christians and how your blood relatives do. On the one hand it is cultural - a conflict of world views. On the other it is personal - people you love having rejected you because of your newfound faith.

The truth is you are a living witness and constant reminder of their sinful nature, whether it be the world or your family. Your witness may not be verbal. You may not talk to them differently or love them less - but you are no longer one of them. In the twinkle of an eye, you have become an alien in a foreign land. It is a spiritual thing.

"If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." - John 15:19

Jesus said, " I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household." Easy to read - hard to live. It leaves a hole in your heart that cannot be filled, except by faith. You may not be sorry that you chose Jesus, but you will be sad that you lost the closeness of relationships that mattered. I suppose, in a small way, it gives us a taste of how God feels about His being rejected by His greatest creation and more the rejection of His Son.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone