Luke 14:33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
Today’s verse is another one that challenges the way we have been living our lives in a world that needs Jesus. We are told we must give up EVERYTHING to be His followers. This is hard, though, because we live in a world where material gain is considered to be success and called the good life. But it is not what Jesus tells us to do. He tells us to give up everything. We are called to surrender.
Our faith requires sacrifice. We have to make the decision that we will follow Him rather than following what the world tells us. We must love Him more than anything else. That means we love Him more than the “stuff” we acquire or the people in our lives (Luke 14:26). He is our focus, our purpose, our redeemer.
But let me offer some reassurance to you, today. Jesus is not telling us to sell off everything we have and live as paupers (though He did tell the rich man He needed to in Mark 10:21). Instead, we need to surrender our desire for material gain and wealth. We need to recognize that we have everything because He provided for us. Our love should be focused on Him, not on the things we have or the people in our lives. We need to surrender those to Him and trust He will use them to bless our lives.
And once we release things to Him and His will, then we can be His followers. It is then that we truly become His disciples.
What can you surrender to God today?
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