“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:25–26).
There is no question that this is strong language. You can bet it cut down on the large crowd that had gathered to see Jesus perform miracles and teach. At a minimum, Jesus calls us to an exclusive relationship with Him. He wants us to the exclusion of all others.
That’s a pretty high standard. How can we measure up to that? Here are some test questions that might help.
1. For whom do you sacrifice? Our most “valuable” possessions are our time and our money. Look at where you place yours and you will have an idea if your relationship with Jesus is exclusive. “Where your treasure is, your heart will be also.” In Matthew 6:24 Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” You can’t follow money and Jesus. Those paths go in different directions and you have to choose one.
Idleman, Kyle (2011-05-24). Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus (p. 60). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
2. Where do you go for comfort? When things go wrong do you pick up the phone or start to pray? You may feel like quite the adult but when you hurt do you still call mom or dad? When we are insecure we go to the place of security. Jesus is saying come to me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest. You can’t rely on mom or dad, brother or sis or even self. Only Jesus is the rock.
3. What disappoints or frustrates you the most? I was really hoping the Lady Cajuns would make it to the World Series of Softball this year. I was disappointed when they didn’t. That says something about where my heart is. Are we frustrated by a world wallowing in sin and the lost dying daily without Jesus? Or does the plunging stock market bother us more? Do we yearn to have a part in winning someone to Christ or is November’s election a bigger concern? Our disappointments and frustrations say much about our commitments.
4. The flip side is true as well. What excites us means something. I have often heard in church that we should get as excited about Jesus as we do about a football game. But maybe closer to what Jesus is talking about is the fact that we should get as excited about Jesus as we do about our family members. Will we exert as much effort to spend time with Him as we will to be with a grand child?
One of the great joys of my life is that I have never experienced the pain of an unfaithful spouse. In fact, the thought of it is completely foreign to me. I think that’s what Jesus is really saying to us. “I want to be your One and Only.” It’s what He deserves. He should settle for nothing less.
Be exclusive and be blessed.
Nick
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