#5 "Fit for the kingdom of God." (verse 62)
A man runs up to Jesus and says I want to follow you...but let me go back and say goodbye to my family. Jesus (maybe with a sigh says) "No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back again is fit for the kingdom of God."
What does it mean to be fit for the Kingdom? Jesus is asking this question, what do you want the most? Look if you want the kingdom it's going to cost you. This is not a nice little walk in the park. You're going to leave your family or get kicked out, lose your friends and possibly leave your country. People will hate you, make fun of you, and tease you. You'll lose most or all of your hobbies and they won't have the same lure to you anymore. Your dreams that you've always had will probably be tainted and seem small and simple. Nothing else will really satisfy you. Habits or addictions you have are just pointless and stupid now. If you're not ready to leave that behind, I'm not sure you're ready for the Kingdom. No, He actually says. "Look, if you can't leave that little thing, you don't deserve the Kingdom. You're just not ready for it."
This seems like a hard teaching in our life but we see it play out in every single facet of our live. What do you love more? When you go to McDonalds and you consider "Double Cheeseburger or Chicken Nuggets?" You go with the nuggets because you love them more. The same question is asked "Are you willing to give up the cheeseburger for nuggets? You decide, yes. Yes I am. When you could wake up in the morning and go exercise you decide, "I'm willing to give up my sleep to go exercise" or "I'm willing to give up exercising today for 30 more minutes of sleep." Simple ideas. I know. Let’s look at it more on a grand scheme. You're in love. You could go hang out with the boys/girls tonight or you could go get a movie and spend the time with that "special someone." You could sit and watch TV until your wife/husband gets home, or you could get up and make her/him dinner. We could go to bed early or stay up a little later talking about stuff and sharing life together.
When love is involved it's not a hard lesson, it's what does love compel me to do? If I do this, I enjoy it more, give a greater love to her/him and receive it in the process. Whatever choice you make, that is the Kingdom you will receive. If you make some hard choices about exercising because you love your life and enjoying it more than you do eating McDonalds and sleeping in more, then you'll get a much more energetic and fulfilling life. Love is the driving force for us to make those easy/hard decisions. Love is the driving force and wisdom helps direct the way.
So Jesus is asking them this question. Look - do you want the Kingdom? Do you want to live in a Kingdom of riches and satisfaction and glory? or do you want the kingdom of striving, and attempting to please people, of pulling yourself up by your boot straps, of trying to be a good person with all your medals, awards, organizations, volunteering and such. Do you want the kingdom of wanting to please people all the time and not disappoint anyone or do you want the Kingdom where I am the most dominant and loving voice in your life and have already accepted you? You're choice. You can't have both. You can't bring your trash into the Kingdom. Leave it at the door and I'll give you all new, better things inside. Do you want to be well thought of in everyone’s eyes temporarily until you mess up again or do you want to see the burning passion in my eyes for you?
Jesus welcomes you into the millionaire community in heaven where everyone inside has been given all that they had. He says, you're not fit for this community with all that junk you have. Leave it here and let me prepare you and I will give you everything your heart has truly desired. It's not that you’re too dirty to come in and you should feel ashamed, He says "I've got better stuff for you inside; you've got to leave all of this behind if you want it." You can feel the warmth of glory on your skin while you still wear those rags, let me give you my cloak. Everyone inside is wearing my stuff and using my things. No one brought a thing to this party except me. They all left their junk over there next to the cross.
It's easy to see in an illustration like this but these are things I've had issues letting go of:
a relationship when God said "she's beautiful, mine, lovely, awesome...but not your wife," friends who I've spent 18 years with, friends who I've went through college with where you really know yourself, a car that I fixed up and loved, a country where I knew all of its freedoms, the freedom to say whatever I wanted, having hot water for a 10 min shower, being able to communicate with strangers, the ability to do art when I wanted to express myself, my hobbies, playing football, basketball, or running, doing exercise, working on my own, giving up having my own business, being around to see my niece/nephew being born, having a normal digestive track, being "well established" with a house, car, girlfriend/wife, job, doing a job I'm actually good at, sleeping in, relaxing and just people watching in an airport, going to bed early rather than staying up to pray through something, getting something done in the day, the feeling of accomplishment, going where I want when I want, eating what I want when I want, having familiar friends who understand you walk through life with you, having a physical place I can call "home" and can rest. I think you understand. These issues aren't always easy - but that's why He says the gate is small and few find it. He says the road is narrow. I don't think people get very far down the path due to the narrowness of it.
Francis Chan has a video/message called The Biggest Lie In Your Life. It hits on this point deeper saying what is it that you're believing will give you a greater love than Jesus. That's my question for you to wrestle with:
What,
honestly, do you love the most? What are you willing to forego to choose that
thing?
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