Forsaking It All

What do you cling to? What do you indulge in? What do you cherish the most? Where you put your money, time, and thought reveals what you love the most. Is it family, a job, a hobby? It could be friends, music, games, sports, exercise, food, or literature. Maybe it is yourself. Maybe you spend all your time and resources on you. These things are not bad in themselves. Even spending time for self occasionally, like a vacation, is not wrong.

Have you noticed, though, how easy it is for everything in life to cause us to turn inward? All of these good things can leave us both empty and wanting more. The only thing, or Person, that will not leave us empty or turn us inward is Jesus Christ. By His nature He is others-centered, and He completely satisfies us to the depth of our soul because we were made for Him.

By spending time with Him, we become like Him. That creates within us an others-centeredness and a sense of peace that is not of this world that money and belongings cannot offer. Yet, if we try to set our eyes upon Him while holding onto everything that keeps us focused on self, it won’t work. In a previous post this scripture verse quoted by Jesus Christ was listed with several others:

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

It can also be stated that if you do not forsake all to follow Him you can’t be His disciple. Wow! Really? So, are we supposed to literally go broke, live in a hole, and tell everyone that we can’t speak to them anymore? Obviously not. If He asks us to go and tell everyone about Him, then we must talk to people. If He asks us to use our resources to point to Him, then we should have some resources. If He uses lots of parables about money and working a job, which He does, then working and making a living is perfectly acceptable. So, what does He mean by forsaking all or be willing to kiss it all good-bye?

Think about it. Jesus Christ hung out with friends and family. He traveled. He went to weddings. He went to parties and even banquets in which He was the guest of honor. He even encouraged his disciples to get rest and relaxation (Mark 6:31). He also played rugby. Okay maybe that wasn’t invented yet, but I bet He would have been an intense moose man!

Jesus Christ wasn’t a monk. But…He did give up EVERYTHING to follow His Father in heaven. He asks that His followers do the same. We will never be perfect, but we cannot attempt to walk with Him and hold onto secret sin or self-indulgences. He is not asking us to stop being human, though. Even He became human!

If you enlist in the military, they require full commitment. You forsake it all for country. In a sense, following Jesus Christ is enlisting in His army. Like with the military, there are standards. Everyone knows that you can’t walk away from boot camp just because you crave a triple cheeseburger and a large milkshake, and come back wearing your favorite bathrobe. Try going down to the local Uncle Sam recruiting office and tell them you want to be a soldier on your own terms. It’s the same way with Jesus Christ. We must follow Him on His terms, not ours. He meets us where we are at, but He won’t keep us where we are at. Like the military, we must count that cost before we enlist.

The good news is that if we are willing to let go of everything, we get eternal life out of the deal. We get joy and assurance that cannot be shaken by circumstance. We get to know the Maker of the universe personally. He calls us a friend (John 15:15). Are you willing to forsake what you hold onto the most in order to receive the everlasting medal of honor? We would enjoy chatting with you more here if you have questions – contact us.