All In?
Today, Jesus talks about commitment.
Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions. "Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it away. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!" - Luke 14:25-35
What good is it to be half committed?
If you are going to start on a path, shouldn't you be prepared to go the distance?
Sure, the way he says he desires commitment from his followers is a bit rough. Maybe more than a bit. He is downright harsh, but we get the message, don't we?
If you are going to follow me, you cannot be held back by or committed to anything or anyone else.
You need to be all in, to use a modern-day expression.
How many times have you told yourself you could try a new venture, knowing you have money saved that you can fall back on if it fails?
In fact, we tend to avoid taking risks at all times.
Jesus is saying, come. It is not a risk. Have faith.
When we listen to the Holy Spirit, we move in faith. Don't worry about this, you can risk it all.
The only way you would do something so daring is if the Holy Spirit guided you. We just have to listen.
More to come...