October 22–The Cost

It’s Monday and we are right smack dab in the middle of fall y’all. I love lots of things about fall. I love the colors of the trees and I love to decorate for fall. We buy a lot of mums here in the fall and they always look so pretty that we want our porches and sidewalks to show them off. However, by fall we are all sick of watering and lots of us don’t take very good care of those mums. I’ve already killed a couple this year by dehydration. But the truth is, there is a cost to having those flowers stay pretty throughout the season and it’s more than the initial purchase price. It costs us some daily time and effort. 


Likewise Jesus told us there was a cost for being his disciple. “One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭14:25-27‬ ‭MSG‬‬


Jesus says we have to let go of everyone and everything. He says we have to love Him completely and above all else. And unless we have that all consuming love for God, we really don’t know how to fully love anyone else. It’s only when we are following Jesus completely that we enter into the place where we can have His love spill out on those around us. And the flip side is if we don’t love God the most, what ever we do love the most becomes our god by default. That could be our children, our spouse, our car, football, or even ourselves, but nonetheless, there is only one God who is worthy of our full surrender. Only one God worthy of our exclusive love. Only one. 


Dear Lord, thank you for the richness of your word and for the training and instruction contained within. Help us to learn to love you fully and completely so we can be counted as your disciples. You are a great God and we long to worship you and offer to you our supreme love and loyalty. We praise you and we want to follow you and we want no other God’s before you. Show us the way to carry our cross as you lead us on to the land that is to come—our eternal home. You are El Elyon and we sing hallelujah to your great name. Amen and amen. 


Love you dear friend,

Pam







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