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Preparing the Soil (Introduction): It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. (John 13:1) I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. (John 13:15)
It’s true that being a parent is the worst job that you will ever love. From the moment of that first midnight feeding and resulting messy diaper it becomes quickly apparent that you will be required to make sacrifices and deny your own pleasures and pursuits for the sake of love. Sleepless nights walking the floor with a cranky babe, endless miles driving to and from activities, hours spent reviewing the multiplication tables at the kitchen table, desperate scrambling for last minute science fair projects, then back to sleepless nights waiting to hear your teenager’s car drive into the driveway.
Meanwhile, your sacrifices are often met with selfish demands, ingratitude, misunderstanding and rebellion. Your hard earned wisdom is openly discounted as old fashioned and out of touch. Long deliberation and serious soul searching should go into the decision to become a parent. And yet, there is unimaginable joy in pouring oneself into another life. The mystery of parenting is the discovery that denying your own pleasures and pursuits for another actually results in greater eventual fulfillment than could ever have come from selfish recreations.
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): In our passage this weekend, Jesus is cautioning the large crowds following after Him that true discipleship would be the worst decision they would ever love. He wanted them to count the cost involved in becoming a disciple (Luke 14:25-35). He was trying to make them realize there was a letting go in order to take hold.
They couldn’t keep their hands full of all their old pursuits and selfish loves and then just throw Jesus onto the pile. Just as becoming a parent means lifestyle changes to accommodate that new life, Jesus wanted to make it clear that following Him meant sacrifice and priority adjustment. He was not trying to discourage devotion. He was refining it.
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): Whether you have been a Christ Follower for days, years, or are just now considering becoming one, it is necessary to keep in mind that there is a cost involved. Following Jesus with no sacrifice on your part is not following at all.
The results of complacent adherence are tasteless and empty. If we choose to follow Jesus’ example, we will willingly lay down our lives because we know we will reap eternal rewards that far outweigh the cost.
Cultivating (Additional Reading): Mark 10:29-30
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