Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Luke 14 before reading the devotional below.
The Christian life is not for everyone. Jesus tells us in this chapter to count the cost of following him. He warns that being his disciple is a hard road and you have to be willing to walk away from a lot. His twelve closest disciples had walked away from their family lives and careers to follow him.
You know who this was easy for? The commoners. The masses. The crowds that followed Jesus around everywhere. When you have nothing to lose, the cost is easy to calculate. These were the thousands that crowded around Jesus and cheered him on when he took on the big shots. They literally had nothing else to do. They needed healing, they had been cast aside by the important people, they had nothing to lose.
You know who this was hard for? The self-reliant. The independent. The elites who had pretty good earthly lives going on. We see this with the story of the rich young ruler as well in Mark 10. When Jesus tells him to sell everything and give it all to the poor, he has a lot of cost-counting to do. And we don’t know which way he landed on that decision.
Here’s your freedom for today: Jesus will not rob you. He will not steal the things you cling to or pry from your hands the things you fear letting go of. Jesus gives you the freedom to count the cost. And as you spend time with him, those things you cling to seem less like obstacles and more like opportunities. He will make a way for you if you decide you want one.