Jesus ended his description of the cost of discipleship with a breathtaking statement:

“Anyone of you who does not renounce all that he has, cannot be My disciple!“ Luke 14:33.

“Renouncing,“ may mean we give up something physically, but more often it means we let go emotionally, so that what we possess no longer possesses us.

When we become one of His, we cannot continue to belong to this world (1 John 2:15–17).

We must make a choice, for we cannot serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24).

The rich young ruler, when confronted with that choice, turned his back on Jesus, (Luke 18:18–25).

Suppose you learned that you had given all expense paid condominium on a beach, complete with airfare, or car, food, and a maid.

You could brag about your new lifestyle, plan for it, and dream about it. But until you pack up and leave your current home, the new home is never really yours.

You cannot live in Tahiti and your current hometown at the same time.

Many people approach Christianity the same way. They love the idea of eternal life, escaping hell, and having Jesus at their beck and call.

But they are not willing to leave the life they now live. Their desires, lifestyle, and sinful habits are too precious to them.

Their lives may exhibit a token change — starting to attend Church or giving up major sin — but they want to retain ownership of everything else.

Jesus is speaking in Luke 14 to those with that mindset.

We cannot earn salvation by lifestyle change, or any other good deed (Ephesians 2:8–9).

But when we choose to follow Christ, we are releasing control of our lives. When Jesus is in control, pure living results. (1 John 3:4–10; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

In Jesus’ parable of The Sower, it was only the soil that allowed the seed to put down roots and bear fruit that was called “good“.

If we are going to be disciples of Christ, we must first count the cost of following Him.

 

~ Gail Manizak

---

Gail Manizak of The Power and Presence Ministry, is all about encouraging the Body of Christ as a Ministry of Intercession and contending for our communities, as a House of Prayer.

Back to Top