Matthew 8:18-22
GET THIS: The cost of following Jesus will almost certainly be more than you think it is, but the return on that investment will be exponentially more than you could ever ask or imagine!
In following Jesus, what appears to be the hard way is actually the easier way. “The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing is to hand over your whole self—all your wishes and precautions to Christ. But it is far easier than what we are all trying to do instead. For what we are trying to do is to remain what we call ‘ourselves,’ to keep personal happiness as our great aim in life, and yet at the same time be ‘good’… We are all trying to let our mind and heart go their own way—centered on money or pleasure or ambition—and hoping, in spite of this, to behave honestly and chastely and humbly. And this is exactly what Christ warned us you could not do… What does Christ want of me? “Christ says give me all. I don’t want so much of your time, so much of your money, so much of your work: I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half measures are any good. I do not want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down…. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked—the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours. —-C.S. Lewis
Two Specific Conversations
1 - This World Is Not Home For The True Disciple of Jesus
Read Matthew 8:18-20
2 - Family Looks Different For The True Disciple of Jesus
Read Matthew 8:21-22
Birds have nests foxes have dens
But the hope of the whole world rests
On the shoulders of a homeless man
—Rich Mullins (You Did Not Have A Home)
Other Scriptures: John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-17
One Message
Read Matthew 8:14-15
We have so far a complete stranger (in human terms) who is not even an ethnic Jew and we have a jewish woman who is family with one of Jesus’ closest friends… They could not have been more different! But Jesus isn’t done yet
Other Scriptures: Matthew 10:37
One Message
Read Matthew 16:24-25
It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. —-C.S. Lewis
Other Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 2:9; Matthew 11:28-30
Take Time To Reflect
(1) What is the one thing (or multiple things) standing between you and whole-hearted discipleship of Jesus?
(2) Are you a Christian in name only or are you a true follower of Jesus? If you’re not a true follower of Jesus, but would like to be, please talk to a pastor ASAP.
GET THIS: The cost of following Jesus will almost certainly be more than you think it is, but the return on that investment will be exponentially more than you could ever ask or imagine!