Luke 14:33 – Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
Did you ever listen to the children in the school yard?
"If you won't do it my way I won't let you play!"
Did you ever listen to the adults at work in an office building?
"Welcome to our company. Here are our company policies. You will be expected to conform to our regulations as long as you are employed here."
Did you ever listen to God.
"Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple."
It seems no matter where you go and what you do, you have to conform to somebody else's set of expectations. Is God like that too? We are told to become like little children (Matthew 18:3), to repent from sin (Luke 13:3), to give up all we have (Luke 14:33). Is God the ultimate rule maker?
No!
God's goal is not to control us but to love us. God does not limit us and take away our freedom, He guides us on a path of joy and freedom … freedom to love Him, to worship Him, and to serve Him forever. God is not out to take away our identity, He is there to give us an identity … as His Child: "To all who received [Jesus] to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).
Prayer: Lord we thank you that we can call ourselves Your children and that You have loved us enough to adopt us into Your family. We choose today not to be conformed to the world but to be reformed by Your lovingkindness. Amen.
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