Jesus is not seeking halfhearted disciples. He explains that our love for Him should be so intense that, by comparison, all other relationships fall into second place. Jesus desires a supernatural takeover. He wants His followers to understand that He is the sovereign Lord, their ruler and master.

Many attend church, listen to sermons, sing hymns, and then leave with thoughts of Jesus behind them. They might sing, "I surrender all," but it might as well be "I surrender very little; I surrender what is easy." True discipleship means giving Him everything.

Friends, when we love Jesus more than anything or anyone, we find that our love for others, even our enemies, deepens. Jesus isn't promoting hatred; He's simply establishing God's divine order. We are to love Him above all else! He also said, "Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple" (v. 27). Jesus meant we must die to self, daily! We must refuse to try to control our own destiny. In this way, death becomes a new way of life.

Discipleship for a Christian is about aligning one's life with Jesus. True discipleship involves recognizing that our default nature is to pursue anything but Him. It's about choosing instead to renew our hearts, souls, and minds daily, to become more and more conformed to His likeness!

Onward and Upward+ Fr. Greg