25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Here, the Lover of our souls speaks to us about priorities. Matthew renders these verses in the following way:
37 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matt 10:37-39 (NIV)
Our Bridegroom does not suffer second place in our lives very well – nor should He. What husband would want to share the coveted treasured position of being his wife’s most adored and beloved? As believers we are the bride of Christ. He is to be the first on the throne of our lives; anything less than this is idolatry. We may wish to read that again for it to truly sink in! Jesus knows that if we place anything else on our thrones be it a person, or a thing, or a career, or a relationship, or a whatever we desire to fill that blank in with, we come up sorely wanting. Remember, He loves us! Remember, He desires the best for us and the very best for us is following hard after Him! This is such an important subject that it is addressed in all four gospels. Always heed repetitions in God’s Word! Jesus tells us in the Book of John:
24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. John 12:24-26 (NIV)
Just as Jesus’ death on the cross was His means of re-entry into glory, our “death” to self is the way to a glorified life too. Paul tells us in Colossians:
26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Col 1:26-27 (NIV)
Believers are now indwelt by Christ, the “hope of glory”. We are told in Romans:
9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. Romans 8:9 (NIV)
FYI – we want to belong to Christ! Later in Colossians Paul states:
3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Col 3:3-4 (NIV)
Trust me in this; we will want to appear with Him in glory! Remember He told us that those who are not for Him are against Him. There is no middle ground with our Savior. We will not be found constant and persevering in our faith if we are striving to “serve two masters” – which Jesus tells us is impossible to do anyway. Christ must always take priority.
24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Matt 6:24 (NIV)
The word translated money here is actually a comprehensive word denoting anything of value. So then this begs the question, Whom, whom or what do we serve? Something will be on the throne of our lives. We owe it to ourselves to think about this question. God tells us through the prophet Isaiah:
8 "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. Isaiah 42:8 (NIV)
17 This is what the LORD says-- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. 18 If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea. Isaiah 48:17-18 (NIV)
As humans, we have heads, and therefore must be given facts and evidences and arguments in order to make reasonable commitments. And we have hearts with longings and yearnings and hopes and fears and desires. Therefore, if someone urges me to commit myself to a certain goal, he must persuade my head that the goal is really there as he says it is; and he must move my heart to feel the value of attaining it. John Piper – Sermon – 2.7.82
“Jesus is the One who shows us the paradoxical route to meaning in a chaotic and hostile world. It’s the paradox of the gospel: Strength is found in weakness. Control is found in dependency. Power is found in surrender...God uses the frustrations of this life and the hurt of relationships to compel us to look beyond what we can control to the God who controls all things in order to woo us to himself. As we move from control to surrender, we move from chasing the wind under the sun to embracing God above it.” Dan Allender, Breaking the Idols of You