All or Nothing

“So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”  Luke 14:33

First, how important is our relationship with Christ? Putting it another way, is this relationship the most important one in our lives, or is it just one of many? Do not give a quick response to this question. Think about it, for how we truly answer this question will indicate where our heart is.

The philosopher Socrates (469-399 BC) wrote the following. “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates was a seeker of truth, which was extremely important to him, therefore he dedicated his life to the pursuit of it. This was not strictly for the attainment of knowledge, but to find fulfillment in this life. To him, truth was much more satisfying then delusion. 

In his closing sentence in the chapter on Socrates in his book “Philosophy in Seven Sentences”, theologian and philosopher Doug Groothuis wrote the following, “Yet Socrates tells us that finding the truth is worth it. The examined life may lead for a time to self-doubt and even self-loathing, but for Socrates the self must stand under the truth. May this inspire all of us.” I hope you appreciate the quote above from Socrates, one of the more famous philosophical quotes in history, and one of my personal favorites. What I want to do now is focus on one aspect of this examined life which deals with how important a life in Christ should be to us.

In the Book of Luke we read the following,

“Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.” Luke 14:25-33.

The meaning here is if we do not love Christ supremely, above anything or anyone else, we do not truly love Him. It is not saying we must hate everyone else to love Him, but our love for Him must be foremost. This is because we will do for those first whom we love the most. Jesus says we are not worthy of Him if we do not love Him above all else. Matthew says it this way.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 10:34-39. 

As you can see in Matthew’s version, if we love someone more than Him, we are not worthy of Him.

Below we see that Jesus uses Micah 7:6 to make His point.

“For son treats father contemptuously, Daughter rises up against her mother, Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.” Micah 7:6. 

He is telling us how much we may have to give up if we truly follow Him. Our family and friends may come to this point in time and leave us. Also, we are called to give up our possessions and desires, hopes and dreams if these things get in the way. Are we ready to give up everything for Christ?

I have spent a lot of time thinking about these things. Christ wants it all. Not that we have to give it all up immediately. but be willing to give it all up for the cause of Christ. This is a tough message. Moreover, it is really tough to examine ourselves and find we have not given all and we have areas in our life we have not placed under the calling of Christ. No one said the Christian life is easy. It is hard because it goes against the ways of this world. Most of what we are called to give up is not intrinsically bad. There is nothing inherently wrong with money, but the love of it over Christ is wrong. Essentially, anything is wrong if it is more important than Christ; our love for Him and His calling for us. We must place ALL things at His feet and be willing to lose it all for Him.

I want to challenge everyone who reads this post to take time and examine who you are and how devoted you are to Christ. I have been on this journey for some time, and I will probably never be finished until I go home to be with Christ. But it is important that we focus on these things so we can make the changes necessary to draw closer to God and make everything and everyone else secondary. We are called to go out and spread the gospel, making disciples, and to be a light in this dark world. This should be our priority, and whatever we do, whether it be work, relaxation, travel, etc., we should be open to hearing God’s call for service. We are told to be ready at all times for God’s work here.

“I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” 2 Timothy 4:1-2.

Whatever we do, we must always be ready to do God’s calling. Remember, we have to be willing to put aside anything that gets in the way, so they do not take precedence over Christ. We must see this as follows. He is either first or irrelevant.