The cost of loving like Jesus!

Reflecting on Luke 14:28-35

“In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” (Luke 14:33)

Full disclosure, I have not given up everything I have.
The plain sense of what Jesus says is: I cannot be His disciple.
Like the earlier part about hating one’s family, I don’t take this literally.
It is a figure of speech, an exaggeration (hyperbole) to make a point:
‘If you follow Me in the way of love, you are putting everything on the line!’

As an analogy, you could consider the demands of parenting.
If you do not give up everything you have, you cannot be a parent.
Having a child is totally life-changing, you’re life will never be the same.
This is not a bad thing, it is a reality that goes with being a parent.
It is the same for following Jesus: it is totally life-changing.

Jesus urges His followers to consider this carefully.
We should be sure we understand both the value and the cost of love.
Loving people is worth it, but it is demanding and costly.
It will mean loving difficult people, and being hurt by those you love.
But God considered this price worth it for us; do we for God? for others?

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, Your way is the best way. There is nothing better than loving and being loved. But in an anti-love world, it comes with a price. As in parenting, to love with/like/for You will involve being hurt, disappointed, stretched, imposed upon. Am I prepared to pay this price?