Founded by Bryant Wright, Right from the Heart is a
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More Than Life Itself Jan 06 2010
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;" - Matthew 10:37
If Jesus has ever made a scary statement, one that causes me to examine my heart to its very core, it has to be Matthew 10:37. Read the scripture referenced above again. Now that is a stunning statement, one that challenges me to fully comprehend. That is because I love my wife. I love my children. I love my grandchildren and parents and siblings. I even love my in-laws. Because of my deep love for my family, Jesus' statement makes me very uncomfortable. In fact, it terrifies me.
Similar to God's statement to Abraham, Jesus is saying that when it comes to our family members, Christ must be in first place, or else He will be in no place at all when it comes to our lives. As hard as that is to take in, Christ wants to make it clear that if we want to follow Christ, He must be first. The fact is that if we love anyone (or anything) more than Jesus, we are not worthy of Him. And if that's not tough enough, He goes on and says that we must love Him more than we love our own life itself. Jesus sets up high expectations for His followers. Am I willing to meet His expectations? I am, as tough as it is.
How about you?
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3 Comments
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Yes, report it NevermindThis devotion prompted me to pray, "Help me to love You more, Jesus." Since I have not been put through the ultimate test I can only hope and pray I would respond by showing more love for Jesus than for anyone or anything else. Without His guidance and action in my life I would surely fail.
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Yes, report it NevermindThe thing about loving Jesus above all else is that He will never die, never fail us, never desert us and never disappoint us.
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Yes, report it NevermindThis is one of those "Hard Sayings of Jesus". Let's be honest folks, there aren't many of us that would do what Abraham did. Issac was "the son that he loved". When I think of any of my own children I shutter at thought of such a dilema.
And, I know that God the Father did no less with his on beloved Son. I can say with assurance that I love Jesus more than anyone on Earth, but I can't even imagine him asking me to make such a choice.
The meaning of this hard saying is just difficult for me to put into a practical context.