For Love
Luke 14:25-35

Out of your top priorities in life, which one takes priority? Something does. One is loved and treasured more than the others. And whatever it is, you will serve.

Don’t take my word for it.

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” –Jesus (Matthew 6:24)

Jesus’ language in Luke 14 sounds harsh. But it’s no more harsh than his words in Matthew 6:24. It is a simple reality: someone or something is going to be first in your life. And if you are going to follow Jesus, it’s got to be him whatever it may cost you.

Now, this is no arbitrary man making some arbitrary claim upon your life. This is the eternal living Word of God who is God, through whom and for whom all things were created and by whom they continue to exist. This is the Son of God who came to earth as Son of Man to confront and overcome our temptations. This is the Lamb of God who would so live as to be the perfectly righteous sacrifice to atone for our sin. This is the triumphant, risen King of kings who reigns above and is coming again.

There is no higher priority than him nor equal priority with him. And while he has every right to demand full loyalty from us, those who follow him do not do so out of a sense of fearful duty, but of love. His unmatched love for us.

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:3-11)