The Cost of Discipleship
Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it. Luke 14:25-28, NKJV.
Jesus didn't lack for disciples. Gaining followers was apparently one of the easiest things for Him to do. After all, He could heal their illnesses, miraculously feed them if the need arose, and He had great stories. All in all, Jesus was wonderful entertainment.
Many of those following Him had not the slightest idea about what it meant. As a result, Jesus stops, turns to the crowd, and gives them the brutal facts of life regarding true discipleship. It means "hating" your family and even your own life.
Here Jesus is speaking in hyperbole (an extravagant statement used as a figure of speech) to get their attention. The core meaning of what He is trying to get across is that nothing in all the world can come before God in our lives--that no love in life (not even love for our selves) can compare with the love we have for Him. Becoming a follower of Jesus means being willing to give up all for Him, even life itself.
Undoubtedly Jesus caught their attention with His forthright statements about hating their families and their lives. And now that He has their notice He pushes on with the fact that following Him is not a casual choice.
That brings Him to His sermonette on the cost of discipleship, which concludes in Luke 14:33 with the dictum: "Whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple" (RSV).
Counting the cost is crucial for would-be disciples. Thus it is important for me.
And what is that cost? It is not merely my tithe (10 percent of my income) and offerings. It means to let Him be Lord of all of my money.
Nor does it merely mean one seventh of my time on the Sabbath during which I worship Him. No! It means to let Him be Lord of all my time.
So what is the cost of following Jesus? Nothing less than total dedication of all that I am and have to His kingdom and glory.
Help me today, dear Lord, not only to count the cost, but be willing to pay it.
Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it. Luke 14:25-28, NKJV.
Jesus didn't lack for disciples. Gaining followers was apparently one of the easiest things for Him to do. After all, He could heal their illnesses, miraculously feed them if the need arose, and He had great stories. All in all, Jesus was wonderful entertainment.
Many of those following Him had not the slightest idea about what it meant. As a result, Jesus stops, turns to the crowd, and gives them the brutal facts of life regarding true discipleship. It means "hating" your family and even your own life.
Here Jesus is speaking in hyperbole (an extravagant statement used as a figure of speech) to get their attention. The core meaning of what He is trying to get across is that nothing in all the world can come before God in our lives--that no love in life (not even love for our selves) can compare with the love we have for Him. Becoming a follower of Jesus means being willing to give up all for Him, even life itself.
Undoubtedly Jesus caught their attention with His forthright statements about hating their families and their lives. And now that He has their notice He pushes on with the fact that following Him is not a casual choice.
That brings Him to His sermonette on the cost of discipleship, which concludes in Luke 14:33 with the dictum: "Whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple" (RSV).
Counting the cost is crucial for would-be disciples. Thus it is important for me.
And what is that cost? It is not merely my tithe (10 percent of my income) and offerings. It means to let Him be Lord of all of my money.
Nor does it merely mean one seventh of my time on the Sabbath during which I worship Him. No! It means to let Him be Lord of all my time.
So what is the cost of following Jesus? Nothing less than total dedication of all that I am and have to His kingdom and glory.
Help me today, dear Lord, not only to count the cost, but be willing to pay it.
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