Bible Reading: Luke 14
Luke 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
This is one of the most challenging things that Jesus said. This is the cost of discipleship. Will you follow Jesus? You must forsake all that you have. There is no in-between ground. You cannot be a 50% disciple because you only forsake half. It is either all or nothing.
Luke 5:10-11 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.
To be a follower of Christ is to be bought with a price. Even your own body does not belong to you anymore.
1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
To yield as a follower of Jesus is to forsake all ownership and realize that you are now a steward. All that is belongs to Jesus and he has entrusted you with taking care of his business. This is a perspective change that all disciples must embrace. When you are no longer “keeping score” or “keeping up with the Jones’s”, you are free to focus on kingdom agendas. To forsake all means to follow Jesus into the harvest and live for him. It means to say:
Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
This world is not our home and we have an inheritance in heaven. We use the world’s goods, including money for the purpose of making kingdom friendships.
Luke 16:9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
The whole point of forsaking all is that we now belong to Jesus. What holds you back from following him? If anything does, you need to let go of it so that you are free to follow him.
In Christ,
Rody
