Hate Your Father and Mother
OPENING PRAYER:
Jesus, open my eyes today and help me see the areas where I’m not fully committed to you. Amen.
“Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”
Matthew 19:27-30 (NIV)
REFLECT:
In the scripture above, Jesus was saying that in order to be his fully devoted follower we have to leave some things behind. What he didn’t mean was to leave your spouse who you are happily married to, he didn’t mean abandon your children or forget about your brothers’ and sisters’ existence.
What Jesus was saying, though, is that following him should hold priority over everything else in our lives. Your spouse, your children, and everything else. Jesus is first in life and our relationship with him is priority number one. If he’s not Lord of all, he’s not Lord at all.
APPLY:
Living with Jesus as priority looks like this order: Jesus, spouse, family, career, hobbies and then everything else. Jesus as your first priority means he’s before everything else in our lives and guides our decision-making in all of the other areas as well.
Following Jesus for you may mean waking up earlier to have a quiet time with him. It may mean making time for home team or attending service on the weekends. Or, it could mean listening to worship music on the way to and from work. However you prioritize your relationship with Jesus, ask yourself this question routinely: How can I begin to make Jesus a greater priority in my life than he already is?
CLOSING PRAYER:
Dear God, help me keep you first in my life over everything else including my family, my career, my hobbies, and every other area. Amen.
CONTINUED READING:
Luke 9:57-62