Beyond Following
Luke 14:25-30 (NLT): A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
It is easy to follow Jesus. He was an awesome guy: healing and teaching and being kind to everyone he met. Following him is easy! You pray, you go to church, you tithe, and life is easy, right? What happens when Jesus turns around and says something to you? When He does that, things begin to change. (Read on …)
