This is a hard verse to swallow, but being a follower of Jesus is not easy. From the moment Jesus called his disciples, there was “a cost.” My husband, Jonathan, and I have been watching Turn on AMC. I normally do not like history related topics, but the Turn series has given me insight to the loyalty of George Washington's army. Both sides of the war had a unique loyalty to either Washington or the King of England. No matter the cost, each soldier was loyal to their superior. As a follower of Jesus, we too have to decide where our loyalty lies.
The scripture above says that a large crowd was following Jesus. Jesus confronts the whole crowd with a disturbing action to be his followers. In order to be a follower of Jesus, you had to give up your family. To give up everything in order to follow Jesus means that our relationship with Christ always comes first. It is so easy in our world today to make our relationship with Jesus just like any other relationship. We can be loyal to our families, our spouses, and our children; but being loyal to Jesus will cost us everything. Are we living today as if we are loyal to our King or are we living a loyal life to ourselves, our possessions, our kid’s schedules, our work schedules, our bible studies, etc., more than to Jesus?
Iron Maker’s Daily Challenge: I challenge you to have a time of reflection over your life. I want you to ponder and wrestle with this last question, what has it cost you to follow Jesus?
Prayer: Oh Lord, here the cry of our hearts this day. We have heard your word. May it penetrate our hearts to become a person of honor, a loyal follower of you? Forgive us for where we have not been loyal to you. We know that only you can give us strength to get back in the fight and serve you as King in our lives. Amen.
Rev. Kristina Crabtree
Minister of Spiritual Formation
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