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Living abundantly

Luke 14:28,33 – How much?

This is the revelation that is shaping my life today- the cost of discipleship is high and beautiful.

Luke 14:28,33 TPT

[28] So don’t follow me without considering what it will cost you. For who would construct a house before first sitting down to estimate the cost to complete it? [33] Likewise, unless you surrender all to me, giving up all you possess, you cannot be one of my disciples.

Observation

Often the good news is heard from the perspective of my personal freedom, healing, forgiveness. It is rightly presented that Jesus has done everything for me to restore me to God, to a new life in Him. But to dwell exclusively here is to miss the challenge and beauty of the rest of the story. The part of the story where I surrender all of me and follow him. Heard through the prevailing culture of today this is not good news, in actual fact, it is walk away bad news.

 

But this is to miss the beauty of being a disciple. When you give up all of you when you surrender, you do not lose you come out with a life of richness that is a thousand times what you laid down. If I laid down $10 I have surrendered that $10, but if you gave me back $10,000 I would say what a brilliant sacrifice I made. I still had to separate myself, surrender the $10, there is a sacrifice, but to sacrifice in the Kingdom of God will always find a great return. Within the seed of my sacrifice is the fruit of the Kingdom.

I must count the cost, for there is a cost, a life lived counter to the culture. The world says “get all you can and keep it,” the Kingdom says “give all you can and you will be filled.” Open-handed living is the life of the follower of Jesus. This is again the upside-down nature of the Kingdom. You cannot be a disciple, a follower of Jesus if you do not walk in the same direction as him. This does not mean Jesus rejects me, it means that I am not following to receive the fullness of the beauty of the kingdom. The radical call of God is always measured against His radical patience and mercy.

 


Application

I will listen to when I want to collect and keep and when my hands are tightly closed in fists not releasing all that is mine upon His call. I want to live Kingdom for I have tasted and seen the richness of its flavour and the beauty of the King. I will not become the little bitch of consumerism drowned by get, I will live in the boldness of give. I will count the cost and pay up!

 


Response

Thank you that you call me to follow you into the upside-down life of your ways. The adventure that is your way is so deeply rewarding. Thank you that you walk with me so that I may walk out your ways. Thank you for the call to the freedom of surrender. I am a blessed man.

 


Meditation

How much does this call to follow, this call to surrender, upset you?

Are you living open-handed or close-fisted?


JOURNEY DEEPER
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