It is amazing that even as a grown adult, I can still remember the awful taste of medicine I took as a child! Because it tasted so badly, it was often hard to swallow.
In Luke 14, Jesus told his disciples something that was “hard to swallow.” You would think that Jesus would have made it easy for people to follow Him. But unlike churches in our modern day lack-of-commitment society, Jesus never tried to water down the high commitment level He expected of his followers. While many today are lowering their standards in hopes of getting more church members, Jesus basically said, “If you are going to be my disciple, it is going to cost you something.”
1. It Will Cost You Your “LOVE”
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. – (Luke 14:26-27)
Jesus clearly said we must count the cost of following Him. The trouble is, we are living in a day where few are willing to pay the cost of truly following Christ. They will pay the cost to: work extra hours, take on extra jobs, or keep their children in every activity known to man. But when it comes to living a dedicated, separated life, that is just too high a price for them.
Jesus said that our love for Him should be so great that our love for family really looks more like hate. With today’s catering-to-the-sinner mentality, it is almost as if churches are wanting people to come so badly they will do whatever it takes to get them. Jesus was not that way. He wouldn’t settle for a mediocre mindset. He didn’t say, “I’ll just take whatever you can give me.” No. He set the standard high in Mark 12:30 when He said, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”
2. It Will Cost You Your “LIFE”
In verse 26 He said, “yea, and his own life also…” The Christian life is all about making the right things a priority. With so many things in life competing for our time, it’s easy to put a higher priority on things that really do not have any eternal significance. That is why Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God…”
Jesus put the nail in the coffin when He said in Luke 14:33, “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” Ouch! That hurts! But there it is…the big question we all must be willing to ask ourselves: will I live my life for MYSELF, or will I be willing to lose my life for HIM? It is a lesson that is indeed tough to swallow!