BY GREG CRUM
PASTOR, CALVARY TEMPLE
“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” Matthew 10:37-39
Wow! The words and wisdom of Jesus, both absolutely true and often unconventional, never cease to amaze me. This doctrine of Jesus taught almost two thousand years ago would get him kicked out of most churches in our area! Jesus, you mean I have to love you more than Mamma? No way! Calm down there, country boy. Jesus wasn’t saying not to love your mom, but he was warning us of the dangers of other loves coming before our love for the One who is most important.
Last week we wrote of the importance of proper perspective in life and of being more mindful of our priorities. We need to be alert not to allow anything to come before our personal relationship with the Lord. Again, that’s the warning of Matthew 10:37-39. As harsh or extreme as that directive from the Lord sounds, it’s necessary. Why? Because there is great danger in missing out on what the Lord wants to do in and for us, especially in these last days, if we allow ourselves to get sidetracked by other loves.
In Luke 21:34-36 we are given another warning to “take heed” to ourselves. In this case we were told not to allow a series of things, including the “cares of this life,” to affect our hearts in a way that “that day come upon” us “unawares.” The idea is that the cares of this life can overwhelm us, distracting us from what is most important, especially as time grows short in our lives. It’s a subtle trick of the enemy that keeps those in their prime spiritually from making the impact for the Lord that they should.
What’s the solution? It’s found in verse 36 of Luke 21. There it states that we should: “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Paying attention to the spiritual landscape and keeping closely connected to the Lord is the only way to be accounted worthy to escape what’s coming.
Now, let’s think again about the passage in Matthew 10 we’ve referenced. There’s a word found there, and in Luke 21:36, that is deserving of our further attention—the word “worthy.” As I was reading these two passages, that word stood tall and reminded me of another verse the Lord had impressed on my heart recently, Colossians 1:10. There it is hoped of believers: “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
Here we see that we are to “walk worthy” of the Lord in a way that would please him. Think about that for a moment.
In a day in which many teach that God loves us so much that He’s okay with any lifestyle we choose, we see here hard facts that there is a way that we should live that pleases the Lord. If that’s the case, the converse must be true as well. There is a way we can live that would displease the Lord, and in that truth springs tremendous ramifications regarding personal morality in the life of the modern Christian.
Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.