Luke 14

As I finished reading Luke 14, I felt that I needed to focus my mind on Luke 14:25-33 (some bible translations reference this section as The Cost of Discipleship).

Jesus was speaking to the multitudes (or great crowds) when He explained what it meant to follow Him:

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26, ESV).

Jesus uses the language of “hate” in this section of Scripture. He is speaking figuratively and does not literally mean that believers should hate their parents, family, etc. He is stating that there can be no one else before Him. He must be first. We are called to follow Him and not our pastor, our mentor, or Bible study leader, our parent or our spouse. Jesus is calling us to give of ourselves completely — not partially — to Him and the kingdom. Families will reject each other, they will be divided, they will sin against each other. Not Jesus. He will never let us down. Jesus must be the teacher in our life that guides everything we do. Otherwise, we cannot be His disciples.

Next, Jesus states:

"Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:27, ESV).

Jesus was willing to take death upon a cross for our sins. He is referencing the fact that we must be willing to make sacrifices. We must be willing to be persecuted. We must be willing to be ridiculed, ostracized, humiliated, tortured and even killed for His name. If we aren’t willing to suffer for Him, we aren’t willing to put Him first. We are quickly putting ourselves in the center of the world (or our spouse, children, family, friends, etc.) and making us (or them) god.

There is no situation or circumstance where we can’t count of Jesus. If faced with trials, He is there. If suffering, He is there. When our family falls apart because of sin, He is there. He is faithful. He is reliable. He is sure. He is true. He loves us in a way that defies understanding or comprehension. Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega (beginning and the end). He died for our sins so that we can have a relationship with God and be holy. He will return and will triumph over Satan. Why would we want to put our priority on anyone BUT Jesus?

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, You alone are good. You alone are right. You alone are just. Your ways are not my ways. I cannot understand you or comprehend you fully. Lord, I thank you that you sent your only son, Jesus, to die on the cross for my sins. The stupid decisions I have made, am making or will make in the future, are all known to you. There is nothing I do in secret. Lord, forgive me for the sin in my life where I am not trusting you to lead. I am making decisions on my own and trying to do things in my own strength. I will fail. Only through you can I accomplish things that will not burn up. Lord, I want to count the cost of discipleship and make Jesus the priority in my life. I want to put myself aside and lay down my life for you. I want to continue to love my family and friends but I want to do so because you have blessed my life with them for your glory and for your purpose. Help me to put my life in perspective — it is ALL for your glory! In the only name that saves I pray, Jesus Christ, Amen.

 JASON WORTHEN | Elder

Jason and Larissa were part of the founding members of Hutto Bible Church in 2007. Previously, they attended Hill County Bible Church Pflugerville for nearly six years. They have been married for 16 years and have three daughters: Elisabeth, Sarah and Rebekah. Jason is employed by General Motors and Larissa is a stay-at-home mom who works three times as hard. Jason put his trust in Christ in 2003 when he was attending Bible Study Fellowship in Austin. Both Jason and Larissa have served in Children’s Ministry, Student Ministry and in an elder capacity.