Forsaking all

Luke 14:31-33: 31 "Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?32 "Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.33 "So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”

Jesus did not want His followers to be unaware of the cost involved in following Him. He told His followers when a king decides to make war against another nation he would sit down and think about it very carefully. The king would think about all the resources that go into a campaign: men, weapons, armor, camp supplies, food, mash units, morale, etc. In fact, it takes quite a bit of planning and thought when there is a huge undertaking such as that. Jesus compared following Him in a similar manner. He said think about the life you are committing to; a life that will cost you something. This life, in fact, may cost you your life. When Jesus spoke of how His disciples must carry their cross daily, they were aware of what He spoke about. The Roman cross was a gruesome reminder of what the true cost of a disciple was and still is today.

For any one, who desires to be a disciple (Christian), must know that this is not a game. Jesus is calling all who will come to Him to realize this must be an all or nothing proposition. We as Christ followers must not be as how the book of Revelation describes, “Lukewarm”. That type of “Christian” is despised by God; in fact the scripture says that God says He would spew them from His mouth. Lukewarm Christians make God want to vomit. Jesus is warning His followers that the life He is calling them too is a life where they must decide to live fully for God, or not at all.

For the Christ follower, we are called to forsake all. What does that mean? That means that we must not put things or people before God. Do I still have a car, a house, or even a computer? Yes, of course I do. However, I do not for one moment put those things before my God. If I lose those things I can say, God is enough. The word in this passage is forsaking. This word literally means to say goodbye to. I must be willing to say goodbye to things and even people in my life, if I must. God must be first place in my life, or I am not fit to be His disciple.


Tomorrows Readings:
Old Testament: 1 Sam 17-18 New Testament Luke 15:1-10