“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s own enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 10:34-39
You will find the kind of relationship Jesus is seeking after from us through this text. How personal, and how singular it must be without any competition for our love and allegiance. Though the ultimate end of the gospel is peace with God: Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid( John 14:27), the immediate result of the gospel is frequently conflict. Conversion to Christ can result in strained family relationships, persecution, and even martyrdom. Following Christ presupposes a willingness to endure such hardships: “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master”(Matthew 10:24), If the Teacher (Christ) suffers, so will His pupils. If they attack the Master (Christ) with blasphemies, so will they curse the servants. Though He is called the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), Christ will have no one devoid of understanding that He calls believers to a life devoid of all conflict.
Take his cross—Here is Jesus’ first mention of the word “cross” to His disciples, as they confessed Him with their mouths, He had to remind them, and here we are reminded too, that it is our heart that needs to take into account all of its cost. To His disciples, the cross meant a picture of violent degrading suffering death. And Jesus is demanding total commitment from them—even unto physical death to themselves. And adding to this call to full surender as part of the message they were to proclaim to others. Why else would Jesus demand so much from His followers? That the patterns of suffering through trials and testing of our faith, would solidfy our message to others that the gospel message that saves us is not for those who don’t whole-hearted commit to it. And that we must rely upon God’s strength through grace to persevere. Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me. (Philippians 1:27-30) The Greek verb translated “granted” is from the noun for grace which brings power and eternal rewards. The same kind of suffering the apostle Paul had experienced.
Beloved friend, “Those who love their father or mother more than they love Me are not worthy of Me. And those who love their son or daughter more than they love Me are not worthy of Me…. Those who try to keep the life they have will lose it. But those who give up their life for Me will find true life.” It doesn’t get more challenging than this. We have naturally incredible strong bonds to our parents and kids, but Jesus says our love for Him must surpass that if we are going to be His disciples. We can’t cling to anything else in this world; we must surender it all to Jesus. Jesus did not come to this earth to offer us advice, but to radically transform us. Do we really want His true life? Or are we settling for something less? The latter which will never fully satisfy.
Prayer:Lord, this is a very hard lesson to learn. But You’ve created me and give only what is best, only what I need, with Your help, let me use what You give me and entrusted to me to use it in my life for Your glory and honor. In Jesus’ name, amen.
May the Lord bless your walk!
This really spoke to me Ron I’m gonna share it with the prayer group this morning.
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