Luke 9:61 portrays an image of a willing follower. Kyle Idleman did a thorough analysis on the cost of following Jesus in his book, Not a Fan. The context is as such: in the ancient Jewish culture, a typical farewell "party" usually lasts for many days.
For a long time, following Jesus seemed rather sinister when we were not even allowed to bid a farewell with our loved ones. So what if it's a few days of partying?Surely I deserve a little getaway, I mean, hey come on, I'm sacrificing the rest of my life to follow Jesus. It's a noble thing you know... Moreover, what is a few days with eternity as the backdrop... Surely Jesus would understand...
But to the surprise of many unsuspecting "christians", Jesus's reply was this, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." He said that by doing that I'm not fit for the kingdom of God.
So what went wrong here?
My thoughts:
Everything went wrong the moment we start thinking we are doing God a huge favor by following Him. It is a very natural and almost spontaneous sentiment, especially when we look back into history and witness the noble acts of people like Mother Teresa. It calls for a deep sense of honor, really. But when the cause becomes bigger than God, we begin to forget that He is the One who calls, and He is the One who enables. We look at our own sacrifices and we attribute it to our strength, generosity, and even wisdom. Basically, the warped notion of nobility overcasted the fundamental fact that we only share in God's glory. It has to do with motivation- true nobility is lauded upon one in recognition of genuine acts of love and noble acts; while a mindless pursuit of nobility only yields at best, temporal gratification and a superficial facade. And that is not fit for the kingdom of God.
My thoughts:
Everything went wrong the moment we start thinking we are doing God a huge favor by following Him. It is a very natural and almost spontaneous sentiment, especially when we look back into history and witness the noble acts of people like Mother Teresa. It calls for a deep sense of honor, really. But when the cause becomes bigger than God, we begin to forget that He is the One who calls, and He is the One who enables. We look at our own sacrifices and we attribute it to our strength, generosity, and even wisdom. Basically, the warped notion of nobility overcasted the fundamental fact that we only share in God's glory. It has to do with motivation- true nobility is lauded upon one in recognition of genuine acts of love and noble acts; while a mindless pursuit of nobility only yields at best, temporal gratification and a superficial facade. And that is not fit for the kingdom of God.
Following Christ is a damn serious decision to make. It goes beyond feeling good, it goes beyond enjoying lives, it goes beyond being successful in the world's standard, it even goes beyond having perfect relationships.
Only by establishing that bottomline can we truly be sure that when we stop feeling good, when sufferings replace comfort, when everything seems to go against us, and everyone starts leaving our sides, we will continue to stand firm and declare boldly that I don't know why, but I know Jesus, and that is enough. While it is true that God desires us for His own, I believe in my core that it is for our own good that He calls us to follow Him. Yes, I believe in that.
Too many times in the past 1 month have I heard about how Christians stopped being christians because too much shit happened in "church", amongst "christian" friends, or just in our "christian" lives.
Know what? I am going through shit now, but I'm going digging in my boots. I'm standing firm. I'm gonna continue to declare my faith. Because that is the decision I have made, and the bottomline I have drawn. God has been that real to me that right now where I am, as uncomfortable as things may get, I have decided that the only way for me is to grab on more tightly. The heavier the storm, the closer I'm gonna lean.
Know what? I am going through shit now, but I'm going digging in my boots. I'm standing firm. I'm gonna continue to declare my faith. Because that is the decision I have made, and the bottomline I have drawn. God has been that real to me that right now where I am, as uncomfortable as things may get, I have decided that the only way for me is to grab on more tightly. The heavier the storm, the closer I'm gonna lean.
Because at the end of the day, what really matters is this: I have decided to follow Jesus.
My friends out there, wherever you are right now, far or near, broken or full, happy or sad, disappointed or hopeful, I ask of all of us to reflect upon our walk with Christ. Give God a chance, give ourselves a chance.
God bless you!
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