FREE DOWNLOAD: Committed Outline
“If you don’t plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don’t begin; for this is what Christianity is all about. It is a change of citizenship, a change of governments, a change of allegience. If you have no intention of letting Christ rule your life, then forget Christianity; it’s not for you.”
~ Kay Arthur
Those are pretty straight forward words from Kay Arthur, not something you hear from the pulpit very often. But they are so true! Jesus was pretty straightforward as well in Luke 14: 26-29 when He spoke of the cost of discipleship. He said if you love your family more than Him, you aren’t ready to be His disciple. And if you do not take up your cross and follow Him, you are not ready to be His disciple. At the time Jesus spoke these words, taking up your cross meant you were carrying your cross to the place of crucifixion, the death penalty of that time. Jesus also said whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for His sake will find it.
Discipleship has a cost; it costs you the right to yourself. In the parallel verses in Matthew 10:37-39, Jesus went on by suggesting those who wanted to be His disciple should count the cost, just as a builder would estimate the cost before building a tower. Jesus wants to build His kingdom with those who are ready to make a commitment to Him. He is coming after a bride, not a girlfriend.
This week Cherry and I want to encourage you to take a personal inventory to determine if you are “all in.” Are you ready to push all your chips to the center of the table, betting everything on God’s goodness and faithfulness, despite the hand you have been dealt? It’s easy to say you are all in when things are going good or you like where Jesus is leading you. But what about times when where He leads requires a sacrifice, or blind faith? Or times when life is dealing some hard blows? Are you all in during those times?
These are challenging questions, but hey, we are living in challenging times. If we truly want to be women who rise in this hour, and use our voices for change, and allow Christ to do amazing things in and through us, we must be willing to fully commit ourselves to the Bridegroom. We must give up our right to live independently in order to become one with Him.
We hope you join us at the table for today’s video discussion. As always, we would love to hear your comments. Share your thoughts below, or join the conversation in our Facebook Group, She Rises.
