Are you a Salty Christian
Are you a salty Christian?
A.k.a. the cost of being a disciple Luke 14:25-35
This post follows closely with a former post: What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
In Luke 14:25-35, Jesus shares the cost of being a disciple.
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he 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, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
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.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
I know when I read this, fear immediately sets in. Giving up everything?
Give up my three hours of couch time watching TV when I “don’t have time to read my Bible”?
Yes
Quit working until exhaustion just to “get one more thing done”?
Yes
Give up my dependence on volunteering?
If volunteering in the organization is not in God’s plan, yes, you need to give it up and dedicate yourself to God’s will.
Giving up what stands in the way of God’s will is what we are all asked to do.
Jesus wants us to put nothing ahead of our following God. This is what the text means by in comparison, we must hate everything else.
Next, we must carry our cross and follow Christ. I always thought this meant, “suck it up, buttercup.” What He’s saying in verse 27 is to be willing to lose oneself (self-gratifying actions) for God, give up our lives and our earthly desires for God’s desires. Carrying the cross being synonymous with death on the cross at that time. When someone was carrying the cross, they carried the cross on which they were to be executed.
Then, Jesus says that we need to choose to be a disciple wisely, there is a cost. In verse 28, he says that you would not begin construction on a project without knowing if you had enough money to complete it. Jesus is asking the same of us: understand the cost before committing.
Lastly, Jesus asks if you have the stamina to sustain. Can you give it all up and persevere? In verse 34, Jesus says salt is good (passion, excitement, desire). But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? How do you regain that passion, excitement, and desire?
So, are you ready to be a salty Christian?
Photo credit Bible.com
