John 8:36

John 8:36

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Take Inventory First.

Have you ever tried to bake a cake or put together a piece of furniture, only to find out that you don’t have all the necessary ingredients or pieces? How frustrating! Not only have you wasted time, you have wasted all the products you used without anything to show for it. And what if you had told people about it and they were expecting the finished product? That would be doubly embarrassing.

Jesus warned people about starting something they couldn’t finish.

He said, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish'” (Luke 14:28-30). Jesus was talking about planning to follow Him for your whole life—not just for a season when it feels good and is easy.

So how do you know if you have enough?

That’s the beauty: Everyone has enough; it’s just a matter of what you are willing to give. Jesus went on to say, “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). Everything he has. Not a certain unattainable quota; just whatever you have, you need to be willing to forsake it.

This should be comforting and not comforting.

Yes, it will take sacrifice to follow Jesus your whole life, but at least it will be a sacrifice that you are able to make! Say God required you to give one million dollars and you never were going to be able to get it in the first place! That would be really hard. But all God is saying is, “Give me whatever you have. I will bless it and multiply it in ways you can’t imagine.” Take Abraham, for example. He was willing to give up his promised child, but God blessed him and made him the father of a great nation—and eventually everyone who would believe in Jesus.

What do you have to give up?

Is it status? A relationship? Your pride? God can help you sacrifice it and build the greatest life you can imagine, based on His Word and following His Son. Take inventory right now and commit your life to Jesus. It will be worth it.

sent by Melci Yi