Luke 14:25-33
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Take a moment to settle into your surroundings and then begin to recognize your breath. As you breathe in, call on the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
Recall our last meditation about those who are invited, and those who respond, to the invitation of God (Luke 14:15-24). Then read Luke 14:25-33 noting any questions that arise as you read.
We can almost imagine Jesus mulling over the dinner conversation with the Pharisees as he turns to the crowd to teach. His message is startling but simple: Those who reject God’s invitation into the Kingdom often do so because they have become overly attached to either an earthly relationship or to their own security and comfort. They have set their hearts on the temporal things of the earth and cannot see beyond to the vast ocean of God’s goodness.
If Jesus is not our first and highest love, even good things can keep us from experiencing the blessings of the Kingdom of God.
Stop to contemplate Jesus’ words again for a moment:
“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. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.”
Share your thoughts and feelings about these words openly and honestly with Jesus.
Read Luke 14:25-33 again.
As we come to know and follow Jesus, we often experience freedom and blessing beyond anything we have known before. But this is only part of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. There is also a cost, and Jesus calls us to recognize the reality of what we must “give up” to follow him fully.
Take a moment to consider some of the “sacrifices” one must make to be a true disciple of Jesus:
You give up clinging to people (who will always disappoint at some point) to cling to the only person who will never fail you or forsake you
You give up your false sense of security to place your faith in the only one who can protect your soul
You give up your attachment to earthly comforts and earthly gain so that you can gain complete fulfillment in the Kingdom of God
Now get still and listen to Jesus for a while.
What do you sense Jesus inviting you to do or do differently today?
Will you?
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