Being A Disciple

Tonight I met with some friends and colleagues from Crossroads.  As we discussed and prayed together, it became evident that many of us are dealing with tremendous challenges.  Sometimes we wonder where our Lord is leading us.  Will we be prosperous?  Will we be secure?  Will we continue to live in the way we expect?  Will the pain ever go away?

As I was mulling this over, I came across the following video.  It speaks so clearly because it is based squarely on the Word of God. 

Here's the truth:  God is calling us to become more dependent on Him every day.  The key to a close relationship with the Lord is the loss of other attachments.  Not that we live homeless and naked at all times, but whatever there is that we think we need beyond what He gives us will stand in the way of God's work in our lives. That may sound hard, but it's worth it!  When we let God work as he desires, when we open the door to God's FULL involvement in our lives, then there is power. When we sell out entirely to the Lord, he will come and be with us Himself. With all that He has and all that He is.

Here's the video.  The speaker is Francis Chan.  He's the author of Crazy Love, a book that is being studied by many of our women on Saturday mornings.  The video can be found at http://youtu.be/KylEUY3e3lI.  It's called "The Cost of Following Jesus and is based on Luke 14:25-34.

The audio is slightly off, don't let it distract.  God bless you on your journey of following Him.



Luke 14
     ²⁵ Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
     ²⁸ “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? ²⁹ For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
     ³¹ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. ³³ In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
     ³⁴ “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? ³⁵ It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
     “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

www.equalsharing.com