2011-12-30
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week we saw how we gain nothing of real value without suffering some kind of loss. To be in a covenant relationship with God, the most valuable thing on earth, we must give up our human independence. Had we done this to another human, it would be the most negative kind of slavery. To do this to God opens our lives to His blessings and makes us “slaves of righteousness” or “bondservants to Christ set apart for the Gospel” as Paul described it in RO 1:1. For God alone has our eternal welfare as His first priority [JN 3:16; RO 3: 24-25]. Having a covenant relationship with God is a kind of marriage between God and His human creation-those who believe. Those of us who have experienced a good marriage that lasts over the years knows how much of a blessing it is. A covenant relationship is the greatest blessing we can have while still here on earth and also in heaven. So, it’s appropriate to ask, what is the cost of being a disciple of Christ’s? We see part of the answer in LK 14: 26-33.
The beginning paragraph of this passage puts our priorities on the line. (26-27) “If anyone comes to Me and does not have hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be My disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot bee My disciple.” Wow, if this isn’t tough language! But there’s a reason for it. We must make Christ and His agenda our first priority. The use of the word “hate” here is not meant to thrust us into negative behavior, but it is meant to make us realize that the things of the earth cannot be our first priority, our first love, any more [COL 3: 1-2]. Not everyone who comes to faith in Christ must walk away emotionally and spiritually from their genetic family to become a believer, but many people [including myself] had to thrust aside the traditionally Jewish culture of rejecting Yeshua [Christ] as the Messiah and come to Him as their own, personal Savior [Messiah]. This often leads to emotional, social, and even societal opposition and rejection. In the old times, Jewish Christians [later called Messianic Jews] were thrust out of the temple, would have hard times doing any business in their communities, and were ostracized by their neighbors and families. We already know that Saul of Tarsus [later called the apostle Paul] used to be in charge of bringing down punishment on people whose beliefs were in opposition to the traditionally Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin. He was present at the stoning of Stephen [AC 7: 57-58]. He did that before his conversion to Yeshua [AC 9: 1-6]. My former mother-in-law’s reaction to finding out that I was in the process of leaving traditional Judaism is quite typical of an Orthodox family. She told me she and the family would “consider me dead” if I went through with it. It is the inherent legalism of traditional Orthodox Jewish practices that led her to say such a thing.
We must ask what it means to “carry one’s own cross.” To me, it means taking responsibility for one’s own beliefs, and also basing those beliefs on what is true. And what is the truth? This is answered in HE 4: 12-13, “The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any doubled-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account.” Carrying one’s own cross is also bearing the cost of being a disciple of Christ, no matter what it shall be. There are plenty of martyrs who have paid the ultimate cost possible on earth-their very physical lives, like Stephen did-for the sake of Him and to honor Him. We are asked to bear whatever cost God allows, knowing well that we will be honored for our eternal lives in heaven, especially if martyred for our beliefs [REV 6: 9-11]. Thankfully, many other believers are not asked to pay such a great cost.
LK 14: 28-33 uses the examples of a person wanting to build a tower and a king about to go to war with another king. The person building the tower needs to estimate the cost of completing it, or else he risks ridicule from those who see such costs were underestimated in the uncompleted tower. The king who underestimates how many warriors he needs or doesn’t have enough soldiers to fight risks going into battle and losing. He is considered a fool if he doesn’t first try to ask for terms of peace. From the point of view of what Christ is teaching with these two examples, we must understand that He wants us to realize what the cost of being a disciple might be and to be willing to deal with it head on. He doesn’t want us to make a blind commitment and then, discover that we aren’t willing to be fully committed when and if we must endure the consequences of our choice. In other words, Christ wants us to enter into a covenant relationship with Him with our eyes wide open and our hearts malleable by the Holy Spirit. He wants to keep the promise He made long ago in EZK 36: 26-27. Our commitment is to be a complete and informed one. I feel the same way about marriage and understand why so many marriages fail, not founded on Biblical ethics, careful and mature consideration beforehand, and for the wrong reasons. The lasting marriages are ones involving real friendships, maturity, and the ethical foundation of Biblical truth. A real covenant relationship means understanding the covenants of Biblical truth, having a close, intimate relationship with God that grows with time, and love in the most important sense of the word. It also involves yielding of human independence and humility on the part of the human [1 PET 5: 6-8]. And yes, it recognizes the opposition between the desires of the human flesh and the Spirit Who indwells in us [GA 5: 16-17].
PRAYER: O Lord, You have been kind enough to let us know exactly what is expected of us in a covenant relationship with You. You have kept no secrets to hurt us because there is no evil in You [1 JN 1: 5]. In 1 JN 2: 4-6, we learn, “The man who says, ‘I know Him,’ but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him. Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” This is really putting the walk to the talk about being Your disciple. We can no longer turn toward ourselves or other humans when challenged; we must turn FIRST to You. Soon we will see the blessings of doing that, but it takes courage in our faith. It is hard for a human to wrap his head about the idea that the Lord is with us 24/7, because we can’t see Him as we see other people with our eyes. Instead, He dwells in our souls as the Holy Spirit, directing us, rebuking us on occasion, encouraging us, healing us, and loving us. We can hear the Holy Spirit in many different ways-something we call our “conscience.” You might communicate to us in that “still small voice,” as You did with Elijah in 1 K 19: 12, we hear within, Your words may come by several unconnected people telling us the same thing, or in the wee hours of the night as You answer prayer, for example. Our commitment to this covenant relationship with You is even more important than our nuclear genetic families or earthly marriages. That is because of Who You are in our lives. All we know is that when we live up to Your expectations for us in it, all our other human relationships are blessed by that. You are a great, loving, and wonderful God. We thank and praise You forever in Yeshua’s holy name. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m led to continue discussing “Death To Human Independence” and the cost of being Yeshua’s disciple as we consider how a covenant relationship can begin in childhood or adulthood. In the meanwhile, each of us in this covenant relationship with God should understand the balance sheet of responsibilities and blessings given. As believing adults, we have taken on the willingness to give our all for Christ. We must be like the young lady at Columbine high school who answers “yes” to the question at gunpoint: Do you believe in Jesus Christ?” She was shot, but she is not dead! Her soul lives eternally in heaven, although her earthly loved ones grieve for her. She is a winner in the battle between good and evil, being waged by our Lord Yeshua and all who follow Him. Nothing can separate her or any believer who endures in faith from the love of God [RO 8: 38-39]. This teenaged girl is one of many martyrs for the faith who will live in a blissful, sweet fellowship with God for eternity. She is a heroine, not a loser! We must remember 1 COR 15: 54, “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with the immortality, then the saying that is written will come true, ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory” [IS 25: 8; HE 2: 14]. We must consider HE 2: 14-15, “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He mighty destroy him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil-and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” What a great blessing this is! Our God is to praised and thanked forever!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24:15