What is a disciple? In The Message, Eugene Peterson translates Luke 14:25-27, “One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s self! —can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple.”

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The disciple’s love for Jesus must surpass every other love, including love for self. Disciples have only one Master, and His directives take priority over all others. I am a father, husband, grandfather, brother, uncle, great-uncle, friend, neighbor, citizen, teacher, coach, blogger, Bible teacher, pastor, and disciple. The last must take priority over all the others.

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Following Jesus means denying our right to make independent decisions without consulting anyone. We are not free to follow our agenda.

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Our plans are tentative. Jesus' values and priorities supersede ours. His hands turn the steering wheels of our lives.

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Jesus demands extreme personal sacrifice because we can’t imitate His ways without giving up our own. My father taught others how to work on aircraft engines for a time.

 

After being instructed, one man who had previously worked on auto engines said, “That’s not how I do it.” My father’s response was, “Not here.”

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Jesus demonstrated extreme personal sacrifice. He does not require us to do something He did not do.

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He is the pattern we are to imitate. The goal is to take on His “shape.”

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When I was pastor, one of the children told his mother that he didn’t see the Lord that day. He was referring to me! That is the only time someone has confused me with Jesus. Wouldn't it be wonderful if that happened to all of us more often?

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Our obedient sacrifices measure our love for Jesus (John 14:21). Following Him means doing what He says. Galatians 5:6 says that the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

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Christian disciples follow and imitate Jesus and express their faith through loving words and actions. Love has a four-fold focus – God, neighbor (Matt. 22:37-39); other believers (John 13:34-35), and enemies (Matt 5:44). Love requires extreme personal sacrifice.

 

My bathroom sink was clogged because hair and gunk obstructed the pipe. An internet search revealed many suggestions for clearing the clog, but I didn’t search until after I used harsh chemicals. Those chemicals are not as environmentally friendly as other methods, but they illustrate a point.

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Self in the driver's seat obstructs the flow of God’s love through us to others. God’s ways for removing self can be harsh and painful. But they prepare us for ministry to others as nothing else could.

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Believing in Jesus means following Him. That's hard because we like the familiar. The older we get, the more our habits control us.

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Some enrich us, while others entrap us like a fly struggling in a spider web. Nothing benefits us more than developing practices that balance our lives and nurture our Christian growth.