In the same way, therefore, everyone of you who does not say good-bye to all his possessions cannot be My disciple.  Luke 14:33 HCSB

Yesterday, I went into a search engine and typed in Labor Day.  It pulled up Labor Day sales.  Apparently Labor Day is a big day for sales. It’s a good time to buy all those summer things like barbecue grills, pool supplies, and summer clothing. If you read through the sales paper, you probably noticed some really good bargains out there. Well, today I want to talk to you about a really good bargain that we can get today.

I talk a lot about being focused on God and heaven and not getting entangled in the things here on earth. The problem with the things of the world is that they often distract us from following God. In Luke chapter 14 Jesus tells the parable of the man giving a large banquet and inviting many to attend. He sent his slave out to invite these people and the slave came back with many regrets or excuses as to why people could not come. One man had just bought a field and wanted to go see it, one man had bought five oxen and wanted to try them out and another declined saying he had just gotten married and could not come. So, then the master told his slave to go out into the streets and invite everyone he saw.

I don’t know about you, but I have often been like these potential guests. I have had lots of excuses in the past as to why I could not follow Christ. The biggest excuse I had was me.  I just couldn’t put myself aside. I wanted to do what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it and I didn’t want anything to get in the way of that. The more the world would hurt me the more I would develop that, “looking out for number one” attitude.

I often lived my life like a roller coaster. When things were going well, I would praise God and be so grateful knowing that I didn’t deserve to be so blessed. But when things weren’t going so well, I would set about seeing what I could do to fix them. Not so bright on my part.

It took me a while to figure out that God was the only one who could fix my problems. He was the only one who could give me peace and contentment despite my circumstances (Philippians 4:11). He is the only one that can give me peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). He wants to work all things out for my good (Romans 8:28).  He has good plans for my life (Jeremiah 29:11). But freedom isn’t free my friend, we all have a price to pay.

I encourage you to take time to read the entire chapter of Luke 14, 35 verses. Jesus tells his disciples in Luke 14:26-27, that in order to follow Him, we must hate our father, mother, spouse, children, and siblings and bear our cross and follow Him.  Now in this passage, Jesus is not telling us that we must hate our family, but He is telling us that He must come first. In other words, our family should not be our excuse for not following Him. My mom and dad were married for 63 years before my dad passed away.  After 58 years of marriage my dad was saved. He never went to church before that. My mom was there every time the doors were opened. She led a life of example for him and we prayed for him and God saved him. I shudder to think what would have happened if my mom had let her love for my dad keep her out of church and if she had not raised us in church.

If you want the love, mercy, grace, and protection that only God can provide, you must choose to follow Him.  Know that it comes at a heavy price. It may cost you some of your friends. But know that if it does, they were never true friends. It may cause some family members to be angry with you or make fun of you. You may be persecuted. Are you willing to pay the price?

Romans 8:28 doesn’t say that all things work for the good of everyone, it says that all things work for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. That means doing what He has called us to do. Are you doing that? Are you standing strong for Christ?

If you are, then know that the reward you will receive is much greater than the price you will pay.  Believe me we are getting a real bargain.  There is nothing on this earth that is worth what awaits us in glory. I pray that you are taking advantage of the great bargain that is being offered to us today.

Have a great day!