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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Three easy steps! Don’t you love it when a problem is solved in “Three Easy Steps”?! The reality is that though the promise of these easy steps is alluring, it’s often not easy. And then, when it gets tough – as it often does – we can get frustrated and quit.
One of the problems we face is sin. But because we’re baptized Christians, we can think this problem is easily solved. Simple – become a disciple of Jesus and be forgiven. And that’s true to a point. But there’s more to living as a disciple of Jesus than simply being forgiven. Jesus tells us there are three steps to becoming His disciples. But He also tells us they are “not-so-easy” steps saying, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own (family and friends) … bear his own cross … and renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26-27, 33) Three steps, but not so easy.
“Hating” is a strong word – and here it means to “disfavor, disregard” in the sense that one must put God and His commands ahead of even family and friends … even if it might cause those relationships to break apart. He also commands us to “renounce” – that is to say, “Goodbye” to our worldly possessions. In between, we’re called to “bear our crosses” – understanding that giving up family, friends, and possessions that get in the way of truly following Jesus might be painful to do while we live this life. But this “not-so-easy” three step process is necessary to enter the kingdom of God.
Fortunately, God doesn’t expect us to follow these steps alone. He sends us the Holy Spirit who guides us to count the cost of what it’s going to take to follow Jesus and then helps us to follow Him to the end. Let us then trust God to do just that … to lay the foundation and then build-up our lives in such a way that we will finish it, entering God’s kingdom for all eternity.
In His Grace,
Pastor Jim