The Irrevocable Standard

Most church members today are more concerned about being judged
intolerant, narrow-minded, or old-fashioned than being guilty of continually
grieving the Holy Spirit and neglecting or rejecting Christ’s standard of
commitment.

With skillful double-think and double-talk we have managed to
interpret away Jesus’ clear call. When He saw “a great multitude with Him”
He knew that they didn’t get it.
“. He turned and said unto them, If any come to me and hate
not his father and mother, and wife and children and brethren and
sister, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my
disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and
come after me cannot be my disciple”. Luke 14:25 – 27

We know these words must be interpreted as “comparative”. The rest
of the Bible and indeed the general teachings of Christ make it impossible
to believe the Savior was advocating actual hate of loved – ones. But there
is a clear implicit word here. It is the message of an irrevocable standard.

The call is for a deep and radical transformation of human desire
and affection. It tells us that there can be an attitude and spirit which is
so committed to an absolute obedience to Christ that all other loyalties are
measured in its light. In other words, in the midst of all our duties and
obligations to those to whom and for whom we are responsible, our
undisturbed relationship to Jesus must never be compromised. This is all
about attitude and feeling and the direction of our affection.

The question is, do I really want fully to please the Lord? Is it my
dominant desire, above all, and controlling all other desires, to please Him
at any cost? We cannot be perfect but we can ask the Lord for a perfect
intention.

Do I trust Him to ask of me, or take from me, only those things
which I should not have? This trust is the key to the full blessing of God.
If we are hesitant, which is natural, we can begin by asking the Lord for a
willing heart.