“Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, ‘If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it – lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish”? Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple’” (Luke 14:25-33).
From this teaching we can learn at least three ingredients of commitment to Christ.
First, commitment to Jesus Christ requires intention and resolve. By definition it is neither accidental nor casually eased into. Jesus gave the examples of a man building and a king going to war, both of whom considered and calculated before embarking on their commitments. Commitment involves a calculated choice of one’s will, a decision characterized by resolve and determination to not just begin but to finish or complete what is begun. When you become a Christian, you are making an intentional commitment to Jesus Christ. Christian, do you recall that you made a commitment to the Lord when you became a Christian?
Second, commitment to Jesus Christ requires forsaking – renouncing or giving up something. Jesus taught that one must love Him more than his own family and that he must forsake all that he has. This is not about forsaking duties and responsibilities in various relationships of life; this is about devotion and who is first. When you become a Christian, you are turning your back on sin, on what you want, and on what pleases others, even when it is the closest of family. It costs you something, and that is the cross you must and can bear. Christian, have you stayed true to your forsaking of all that you have in order to follow Christ?
Third, commitment to Jesus Christ requires following. Having made the decision to follow Christ and then forsaking all that one has, one must follow through with following – he must, as Jesus said, “come after Me.” To follow Jesus Christ is to live after His example and according to His teaching. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matt 7:21). Dear Christian, is doing the will of the Father in heaven still your utmost commitment?
The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, but obtaining it involves a commitment to Christ on our part. It may cost you friendships, family “peace,” job promotions, and wealth opportunities, “but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (1 Tim 4:8). So remember, consider, and continue in the commitment you made to Christ when you became a Christian.
– Larry Jones