SCRIPTURAL FOUNDATION!

Luke 14:26 NLT
“If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else-your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.

OBSERVATION!

How considerate Yeshua would have us be in our zeal. Those who undertake to follow Christ must count upon the worst and prepare accordingly.

When I read Luke 14:26, it becomes apparent what importance is placed on understanding and the role courage is going to play in the lives of Yeshua’s real disciples. And how much courage was going to be needed to consistently dedicate our full love to Yeshua.

In order to walk as one of Yeshua’s obedient servants, we must be prepared to sacrifice our all and bring our focus and dedication only towards Yeshua.

How many followers are strong enough to exercise this form of courage to walk this walk. It’s easy to say you’re dedicated and willing to serve. However, it takes courage to actually commit and continually live it. Many when they assess their commitment have only partially committed. Not that they haven’t desired to serve, but only on a partial level, Luke 14:26d. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. It must be a full commitment to be able to claim  discipleship. If you can’t fully commit, then realize you are merely a follower of our Lord’s teachings, not one of his disciples.

COMMENTARY!

Yeshua reveals what the worst is and what you should count upon, basicly the same he went through before them and for them.

He believes, that we have a desire to be his disciples, as well that we might be desiring preferment in his kingdom.

Many anticipated that he would say, “If any man come to me, and be my disciple, he shall have wealth and honour in abundance, let alone  make you a great man” But he reveals quite the contrary.

You must be willing to foresake that which is very dear, and therefore must come to him thoroughly weaned from all your creature-comforts, and dead to them,  cheerfully having parted with them,  rather than lose your interest in Christ, Luke 14:26. A follower cannot be Christ’s disciple, but he must hate father, mother, and his own life.

We must be sincere, constant and persevering, and  love Christ better than anything in this world, and be willing to part with that which you may or must leave, as a sacrifice, when Christ would be glorified by our parting with it (so the martyrs, who loved not their lives to death), or as a temptation, when by our parting with it we are put into a better capacity of serving Christ.

OBSERVATION!

It takes courage to commit to instituting the following actions as part of our personal relationship with Yeshua and his heavenly Father.

When our duty to our parents comes in competition with our evident duty to Christ, it takes courage to give Christ the preference.

If we must either deny Christ or be banished from our families and relations (as many of the primitive Christians were), it takes courage to lose our social status rather than God’s favour.

Every man loves his own life, no man ever yet hated it, and we cannot be Christ’s disciples. It takes courage to love Yeshua more than our own lives, rather than having our lives embittered by cruel bondage, and taken away by cruel deaths, than to dishonour Christ, or depart from any of his truths and ways.

OBSERVATION!

He must bear his cross, and come after Christ. That is, we must bear it in the way of his duty, whenever it lies in that way.

We must bear it when Christ calls us to it, and in bearing it, we must have an eye to Christ, fetch encouragements from him, and live in hope of a recompence with him.

The experience of the pleasures of the spiritual life and the believing hopes and prospects of eternal life will make this hard saying easy.

When tribulation and persecution arise because of the word, then the trial is, who do we love better, Christ or our relations and lives and even in our days of spiritual calm this matter, sometimes is brought to trial.

Those that decline the service of Christ, and opportunities of conversation with him, and are ashamed to confess him, for fear of offending a relation or friend, or losing a customer, give cause to suspect that they love him better than Christ.

CLOSING OBSERVATION!

Those who intend to build a tower must sit down and count the cost. Let them consider that it will cost them the mortifying of their sins, even the most beloved lusts it will cost them a life of self-denial and watchfulness, and a constant course of holy duties it may, perhaps, cost them their reputation among men, their estates and liberties, and all that is dear to them in this world, even life itself.

And if it should cost us all this, what is it in comparison with what it cost Christ to purchase the advantages of religion for us, which come to us without money and without price?

It took courage for Yeshua to take the strokes of the lash for our healing, which few claim because it takes courage to set aside the world’s wisdom and accept a promise that was do dearly paid for.

Robert a humble obedient servant to Yeshua and his Father in heaven Yahewa. And all of God’s children say Amen and Amen.