All or Nothing
“…anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me…”
Matthew 10:37 (NIV)
An “all or nothing“ approach to Christianity can be a tough pill to swallow. Many who call themselves Christians believe that while Jesus can be a help in need, obeying His every command is optional. They acknowledge Him on Sunday but ignore Him during the week.
Jesus taught that He’ll take over the life of those who follow Him. There’s no Plan B. The Gospels clearly show that those who followed Him had their thinking and behaviour thoroughly reformed.
In today’s verse, Jesus calls for radical allegiance from His followers. He makes it clear (in no uncertain terms), that if He’s to be in our lives at all, we must love Him more than anything (or anyone). We must put Him (and His desires) first in our life.
That includes our precious children. Although the love for our children is so strong we would die for them if necessary, Jesus says we must put our love for Him before our love for them. Then, in the next couple of verses, we read that following Jesus is something like joining your own funeral procession. He calls on us to come to Him, live for Him, and (at the same time), die to ourselves by denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Him.
This command doesn’t mean we must carry on with a terrible job or stay in an abusive relationship. Since the cross is a symbol of death, we’re to die to ourselves by giving up our ambitions, rights, and dreams and surrender everything to God. This is what Jesus requires. Then, when storms appear on our horizon, we’ll seek to be especially close to Him and go straight into the battle—whatever it is.
If we accept these terms, our idea that “life isn’t fair“ will fade away. Part of the reason we’re so troubled about our problems can be traced back to a misunderstanding of what it means to truly follow Jesus. As the apostle Paul has said in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” (NIV)
Since we’ve given up ownership of ourselves, we accept the way God uses us. Some of us are given a more difficult road to walk than others. So be it. We have abandoned ourselves to the will of God—regardless of how He directs our life.
Have you crossed this “all or nothing“ decision?
If you take up your cross and follow Him you’ll be the ultimate victor in the world to come.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.“ (Galatians 2:20 NIV)