The gospel of Jesus Christ stands in direct contrast to sugar coated compromise to gain prospects. The gospel of Satan searches for any prey that will accept Jesus and become a Christian. The rich young ruler came to Jesus, kneeling, bending, and asking, "Lord, what must I do," but the Lord told him to sell all that he had and give it to the poor. Jesus did not just grab him up and exclaim that he was the one He was looking for to add to His head-count. He dealt with his heart and his covetousness because self had to first be crucified. The Lord Jesus Christ did not enroll him, but sent him away.

He also sent away three others (which today's preachers would call "hot prospects") because they were half-hearted. The Lord wants our whole heart. We read in LUK 9:57-62, "And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

The Lord told the first man what price he must pay. You must deny yourself and give up everything that pertains to self. The second wanted to delay until his aging father was dead so he could be put away respectfully. Jesus told him not to stall and hold his father ahead of His service. If we will serve Him, we must do it today. We must not wait; we must obey. The third man would have followed, but he had some other priority that he wanted to take care of first. The Lord does not want half-hearted followers; He sends them away. If I must first bury my father, see that I have a decent place to live, and tell my friends good-bye (they probably will not let me go; they will talk me out of it) then Jesus will say, "No, you are not fit for the kingdom." The Lord wants whole-hearted followers.

The gospel of Jesus Christ repeatedly demands that we get our priorities straight. Everything is on the altar. Entering His kingdom is entering His service! That is not half-serving God and half-serving self, half wheat and half tares. He wants whole-hearted service. The fruit of our life identifies whom we serve.

The gospel of Christ demands that those who seek to enter His kingdom must deny themselves, forsake all, and follow Him. MAR 8:34-37 says, "And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Our sacrifice must be without reservation; we must put all on the altar. We must be able to give everything into the hands of the Lord and surrender unconditionally.

The teaching that saving faith is nothing more than a historical faith is sowing tares among the wheat. So many teach that faith is about what I believe: that Jesus lived upon the earth, died, and was raised to heaven. True, saving faith is forsaking everything of self for Christ's sake. Do you have faith in Christ? You can know: Do you obey what He tells you to do or do you have reservations? If you think, "In this instance I cannot obey because of the cost that I must pay," then you do not have saving faith.

We read in JOH 12:24-26, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour." We must die to self. The Lord Jesus uses these parables to teach us what it means to serve Him.

Salvation lies in serving the Lord. Does a man truly serve the Lord? Has he fallen into the ground and died to self, the world, and sin? He will not be concerned with whether he has a bed or a place to sleep. He will not worry about first burying his father or telling his friends hello or good-bye. He will serve Christ by following Christ. Salvation is in serving the Lord, not in a slavish servitude, but out of love. Amen.

Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days;
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hand, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my will, and make it Thine;
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is thine own;
It shall be thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

Frances R. Havergal, 1874

See Also:

Malankara World New Year Supplement