No Sweet-Talk Here
Scripture – Luke 14:25-30: 25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
Reflection: Wow! There’s no sweet-talk here. Jesus is talking to the crowds, not the Pharisees. He pulls out some pretty blunt, hard language.
I’m quite sure I’m not being called to “hate” my wife and children, even though that’s the language He uses. Clearly this is a message about priorities. And Jesus leaves no doubt that discipleship means He will be number one. My goal is to make Him the highest value in my life. As much as I love my wife and children, when push comes to shove, He takes precedence.
Carrying my cross is a tough image, as well. A cross is an unwanted burden that I pick up because it needs to be picked up. Choosing a cross is choosing to do something I’d rather avoid because it’s what Christ would have me do. Remember, a key dynamic with any cross is that it is voluntary – I always have a choice, as did Christ Himself.
Tough words! Tough choices! I’m not sure I’m up to it. I guess that’s why we have His grace in our lives. I’m free to become His disciple a bit more every day. What will that look like today? How will I be different when I go to bed this evening?
An Invitation: A small group will be meeting this coming Sunday morning from 9:45 – 10:30am to share what we’ve learned and seen in this week’s readings. We meet in the Pastor’s office at Bethel Baptist Church, 13330 Trenton Road in Southgate. Everyone’s welcome to join us.
Reflection: Wow! There’s no sweet-talk here. Jesus is talking to the crowds, not the Pharisees. He pulls out some pretty blunt, hard language.
I’m quite sure I’m not being called to “hate” my wife and children, even though that’s the language He uses. Clearly this is a message about priorities. And Jesus leaves no doubt that discipleship means He will be number one. My goal is to make Him the highest value in my life. As much as I love my wife and children, when push comes to shove, He takes precedence.
Carrying my cross is a tough image, as well. A cross is an unwanted burden that I pick up because it needs to be picked up. Choosing a cross is choosing to do something I’d rather avoid because it’s what Christ would have me do. Remember, a key dynamic with any cross is that it is voluntary – I always have a choice, as did Christ Himself.
Tough words! Tough choices! I’m not sure I’m up to it. I guess that’s why we have His grace in our lives. I’m free to become His disciple a bit more every day. What will that look like today? How will I be different when I go to bed this evening?
An Invitation: A small group will be meeting this coming Sunday morning from 9:45 – 10:30am to share what we’ve learned and seen in this week’s readings. We meet in the Pastor’s office at Bethel Baptist Church, 13330 Trenton Road in Southgate. Everyone’s welcome to join us.
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