From the Pulpit...

Jesus knew the cost of totally following God; He may have left His earthly father at the end of his life; He did not stay with his mother and left His brothers and sisters behind and did not spend the last few years with them. Do you hesitate to believe in Jesus because of ties to this world? Because of the potential costs to your lifestyle, friends, etc.? But what about when confronted with the command, 'Follow Me'? Do you rank Jesus higher than all that? Do you honor Him with more honor than all those things that could draw you away from Him? This kind of teaching caused many people to turn away from Jesus during His ministry. They might say, 'If that is what He is asking, I am out!' What he offers is certainly not palatable to our sinful natures. But what He gives is so much better than all that. You might leave 10 friends today, but you will gain 1,000 more in eternity future, and a sizable number today as well! You might lose some measure of closeness with family, but you will gain family far beyond in size and closeness (Mark 10:29-30).