Following

 “Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

                                                                                                                             Luke 14.27

Here again are the words “follow me”. Jesus exhorts all who would believe in Him to follow Him. For me, following Jesus requires a commitment from me to be as much like Him as it is possible for me, a fallen human being, to be.

Following Jesus entails a cost, and here Jesus alludes to that cost. He talks of carrying the cross and He continues by suggesting that the cost of following Him needs to be carefully considered before the journey is undertaken.  

When Jesus states that the one coming to Him must hate family and even life itself, I interpret this to mean, not so much a loathing of these things, rather a choosing to put Jesus before them. Indeed, the choice is to put Jesus before anything else.

This is costly. It could cost me relationships, even precious family relationships. It could even cost my life. All of this I need to consider upfront. I cannot blithely enter into my walk with Him only to find, down the track, that I’m faced with circumstances I cannot, or will not, deal with.

I ask myself the simple question, “Is Jesus worth this?” The answer is a resounding YES!

Lord Jesus,

I commit to You. I desire to follow You. My hope is that no great trial is ahead, but my wish is to face whatever may come, and remain true to You.

I seek Your help. May I be strengthened by Your Holy Spirit as You promised? May the Father protect and guide me? And may I be ever mindful of Your selfless sacrifice for me?

I seek to follow You. Lead on!                                              Amen.

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