What do you love more than Jesus?
Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple.
Luke 14:33 (The Message)
If you love your family more than Jesus, you can’t be His disciple.
If you love your life more than Jesus, you can’t be His disciple.
If you love your stuff more than Jesus, you can’t be His disciple.
On Sunday, we talked about Jesus’ dinner hosts, the Pharisees, and the things they loved best. They loved getting to decide who could do what on the Sabbath. They loved having an entire day where they could catch people doing what they ‘aren’t supposed to do.’ They sincerely believed that they helping God out by catching all the people who were doing things wrong. I get tired of the score keepers.
They loved the best seats at dinner. They loved knowing that other people knew that they were important. They loved for other people to think about them what they thought about themselves. And for it to be as public as possible. It’s exhausting to be concerned about social status, to always be checking on how people feel about you.
They loved having the right guests in the room. They wanted the kind of people who would feel obligated by their presence to invite them to something extravagant and special. They loved doing the right things for the right people that would result in benefits that other people couldn’t enjoy. It made them feel special because they could get something that other people want.
They loved the rules and the good seats and the right guests more than they loved God. And it made them intolerable. People weren’t attracted to them– ha! People wanted to run the other way. Jesus said they were salt that lost their saltiness. Salt has to TOUCH the things it affects– has to rub into meat to preserve it, has to sprinkle on broccoli to season it, has to be in the dirt to fertilize it. Nobody wanted to be near the Pharisees so they had no opportunity touch and consequently preserve, fertilize, or season. They were dead salt.
This is what happens when you love something more than Jesus.
And the life we get on this planet is our opportunity to love more and more things LESS than we love Jesus. We are all in this process. The question is will we keep bringing things to Jesus that we love more than Him and say– help me love this less than I love you. I would rather be your disciple than in love with ‘THIS’.
What’s this?
-David
