Verse 26 talks about how if you do not hate your family and life, then you can not be Jesus' disciple. It goes on to talk about how you would need to sit down and weigh out whether or not you have enough to finish a project before starting to build or else you will be mocked by those who beheld the unfinished work. Or would a king not think before a battle to consider the battle ahead of him. Then He says that whosever does not forsake all that he hath he cannot be His disciple.
That got me to thinking about what we need to give up in order to focus solely on God! Seek first the kingdom of God... Matthew 6:33. Then I thought about how we must give up the things that tether us to the worldly world and the things that cause us to offend Matthew 5:30 because God wants us to be full of knowledge concerning His world and simple as a retard concerning the world of the devil. Romans 16:9 You need to ponder what it means to be a disciple before you take that step because it is not profitable to only go halfway with it. You must go all the way or be spit out. Revelation 3:16 You can not just say, "I love Jesus". You have to pick up your cross and change yourself. You have to put God's Word, and your relationship with God above all other relationships and things or you will fail to finish building and you will be mocked. Unbelievers mock hypocritical Christians who talk a good talk but never back it up with actions. You have to leave all that this world is behind. You have to leave your fleshly desires, your relationships that take you from God (friends or family that do not support you), you have to leave it all behind.
Then it totally made sense with the passage before it in verses 16-24. He is talking about how a man invited a bunch of people to a dinner and they had said they'd come but backed out the night there of. The man was pissed, as who would not be. So, he had his servant go out and collect the needy from all over so the place would be filled. The people that backed out used everyday life as excused to not come to dine. Think about it like us and how we use everyday life to refuse to dine with our Lord at His supper table! The man says then that none of the first group who were invited were allowed to taste of his supper! Man that is deep! So, we want to make sure that we do not let the cares of this world get in the way of our supping with our Lord. If we do, we fall away and will not taste of his supper. You can also compare this with the pharisees and the sinners or the jews and the gentiles. But I really feel God wants us to know that it is an all or nothing thing. We must give our whole life...not just a bit or a piece to Him. We have to surrender it all to Him!
We are being called to let God handle it all in our lives! There are so many verses that talk about this. Like if you are like me and do research on food. I would spend an hour looking up a farm to get beef from. Let it go! Let God handle it. Matthew 6:25 Worrying about whether or not your spouse is upset or angry?! Let it go and Let God defend you! Exodus 14:14 (The Lord shall fight for you and you shall hold your peace.) Where will I live if I commit to doing God's will and moving away? Let it go and Let God go out before you and make His way for you! Isaiah 52;12 and Matthew 19:29 says that God will make up for you forsaking people and places by giving you even more than you imagined. So, don't allow this world to take up any space in your mind/heart. Because as a man thinketh in his heart so is he! Proverbs 23:7. If you are afraid of something or someone or some event? Let go and let God be the one who gives you a sound mind! 2 Timothy 1:7 The Lord does not give you a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind! Praise God let me hear you praise God! There is just no reason to be concerned with anything at all in this world! Luke 12:24-26 puts it so well with this Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? DUH! What are we doing people?! We have to let it go...this world does not matter enough to take us from God and our everlasting life. Our everlasting life is our relationship with God. The kingdom of God is within us. Luke 17:21 So we have to do this! We have to give it all to God and leave the rest behind! Never looking back or else we'll be like Lot's wife and be destroyed by it. Praise God I am so excited to do this...to just let it all go and let God handle everything from now on! How easy my life will be! Matthew 11:30, that is what Jesus is talking about when He says that His burden is light and it is easy to carry His yoke! Praise God! How easy that is indeed! To just live for God and let God handle all the details! Oh I praise you Lord! I give you my life...my concerns...my details....my got to have it done my ways....my do it this way or it won't work out so well...who cares, it will always work out more excellent now because I am giving you free reign to go crazy with your love and grace and kindness in my life! Praise you God and thank you Jesus for your sacrifice! Oh Holy Spirit you rock it so much, too! You teach me so much I am forever in your debt, as well! just let it go....God I give you all of my control issues and I give my whole life to you...every last atom of it...you have it all thank you for taking it and molding me and changing my life and those around me for the better....oh how you work it all for good for those who believe on you! AND I BELIEVE ON YOU GOD! Praise you! Oh thank you LORD!
ALL of nothing and I am giving it all to you! Thank you for taking it and for teaching me these fabulous truths! I will always have these truths in the front of my mind and in the front of my heart and on the tip of my tongue, thank you Holy Spirit oh my God thank you! I am renewed, my heart is clean and my spirit is fresh and I am on my way Lord!
This goes right along with what God just showed me about resting in Him and how you have to cease your own works in order to rest in Him! Hebrews 4:10 talks about that! That is so awesome how God shares with you and me! I am so thankful for this! This is really blessing me! I just stop doing anything and let Him do it all. Resting in Him. Oh God thank you for letting me rest...for letting me dwell in your peace! Thank you so much! I have been so burdened by my own stupidity and lack of knowledge...thank you for teaching me! Thank you! I can not thank you enough!
