Jesus Speaks

JESUS SPEAKING

                “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.  For which of you, intending to build a tower, doesn’t 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 but was not able to finish?’” (Luke 14: 27 – 30.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS        

                Following Jesus Christ isn’t easy; instead it requires great sacrifice and tremendous discipline.  Uncomfortable changes will inevitably follow every genuine profession of faith.  Each believer is called to abandon sin and embrace a life of selflessness and service.  Those considering the Christian life are urged to “sit down first and count the cost.”  Drunkenness, fornication, pornography, adultery, lewdness and idolatry must be thoroughly discarded.  Gossip, foul language, dirty humor, and selfishness must also be crushed beneath the weight of purity, love, mercy, and truth.  Unfortunately, many who begin following the Lord are unable to finish their journey; abandoning God’s call, they eventually return to their old lives.

                Interestingly enough, the longest Bridge in the world is the Danyang—Kunshan Grand Bridge in mainland China.  This modern marvel took four years to build and cost approximately 8.5 billion dollars.  As it snakes over rice patties, lowlands, and rivers, it measures a whopping 102 miles in length.  Bridges are amazing feats of engineering; and yet despite coming in a variety of different shapes and sizes, they all serve one common purpose; they connect two portions of land divided by an obstacle.  Although most of these structures are quite useful, an unfinished bridge is of no value whatsoever.  Ninety percent of a bridge is as useful as ten percent of a bridge.  In order to be valuable the structure must be complete.  Much like a bridge, the life of every believer is utterly useless unless it has been completed.  Throughout the centuries there have been many genuine disciples who died knowing that they had kept the faith until the very end.  Sadly, many more were unable to complete the journey.

                In proverbs Chapter 20, verse 25, we read, “It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy, and afterward to reconsider his vows.”  If you have never made a commitment to following Jesus Christ, then you must not do so rashly.  You must first consider fully what God is asking from you.  He is asking you to lay down your sins and embrace a life of purity; you must also devote your entire existence to serving and loving others.  For those who commit themselves to the Lord, the road is not easy.  There are no points for half-way.  Once the journey has begun, it must be finished.  Only then will we enter God’s eternal kingdom; only then will we know unending peace.

                “Lord Heavenly Father, we have already begun our journey with You.  We’ve laid down our worldly ways and embraced purity and love.  May we continue moving forward and may we never falter.  Fill us with Your Holy Spirit; empower us to complete what we have started, that we might one day enter Your kingdom.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.