March 11

LOVE THE LORD

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. Luke 14:26

Would you consider yourself a disciple of Jesus Christ? If you want to be His disciple, then you must love Him more than anyone or anything else, because Jesus said, "If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life . . . "

Those words sound shocking. Hate? Did I read that right? Jesus is telling me to hate my father and mother, my wife and children, my brothers and sisters, to follow Him? Certainly in the light of Scripture, Jesus was not demanding an unqualified hatred. After all, He could not command us to honour our father and mother and then, at the same time, demand that we hate them. He could not command husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church and then say that a husband should hate his wife. So what did Jesus mean?

Jesus was using the method of sharp contrast and was essentially saying that our love for God must be so strong, so intense, that all other loves would be like hatred in comparison. In other words, if you are to live your Christian life to its fullest, then you must love God more than anyone or anything else.

This is really the essence of what Jesus is communicating: Love God more than anyone or anything else. Love Him more than your family. Love Him more than your career. Love Him more than your possessions. Love Him more than your friends. Love Him more than your ministry. Love Him more than anything.

Prayer: Ask the Lord for the grace to love Him with all your heart, soul and mind.

Scriptural Reading: Luke 14:25-33