What’s Holding You Back?

“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” – (Luke 14:26)

People have been kept back from following Jesus by their fear of what others think. They haven’t committed their lives to Christ because they’re worried about the opinion of someone else. Maybe it’s a boyfriend or girlfriend, or maybe it’s a husband or a wife. Maybe it’s a close buddy or a group of friends they hang around with. Maybe it is even their parents.

They know if they were to fully give their lives to Christ, they would lose a bunch of so-called friends. Or it would be the end of a relationship. Or it would cause friction in their home. That is what holds them back.

But Jesus said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26).

A statement like that sounds shocking, especially because it includes the word hate. But as we balance this with other Scripture, we know that clearly this is not the case. Certainly the Bible is not telling us to hate people. Why would Jesus tell us to honor our father and mother and then also demand that we hate them? Or why would Paul tell husbands, “… love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” (Ephesians 5:25)?

In context, Jesus wasn’t saying that we should hate people. Essentially He was saying that we should love God so much more than anyone or anything else that our love for those people or things would seem like hatred in comparison.That makes perfect sense when you think about it. If you want to live your Christian life to the fullest, then love Jesus more than anything else. Do you love Him that way?– Greg Laurie

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

True Humility Rewarded

“He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 18:14)

It ought not to be difficult for us to humble ourselves, for what have we to be proud of? We ought to take the lowest place without being told to do so. If we are sensible and honest, we shall be little in our own eyes. Especially before the Lord in prayer we shall shrink to nothing. There we cannot speak of merit, for we have none; our one and only appeal must be to mercy: “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

Here is a cheering word from the throne. We shall be exalted by the Lord if we humble ourselves. For us the way upward is downhill. When we are stripped of self we are clothed with humility, and this is the best of wear. The Lord will exalt us in peace and happiness of mind; He will exalt us into knowledge of His Word and fellowship with Himself; He will exalt us in the enjoyment of sure pardon and justification. The Lord puts His honors upon those who can wear them to the honor of the Giver. He gives usefulness, acceptance, and influence to those who will not be puffed up by them but will be abased by a sense of greater responsibility. Neither God nor man will care to lift up a man who lifts up himself; but both God and good men unite to honor modest worth.

O Lord, sink me in self that I may rise in Thee.– Charles Spurgeon

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

GOOD WORKS
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”–Ephesians 2:10       

Notice how carefully he puts works in the right place. You  don’t obtain anything from God by working for it. You never deserve  anything but judgment at His hand. If He gave us what we deserve, we  would all end up in hell. No, we receive His grace, His mercy, His love. But these result in good works. That is the point. They are designed to produce good works. It is a marvelous manifestation of God’s ability.

The word workmanship is really the word poem. We are his poem…. We are his masterpiece. God is working out in our lives a tremendous exhibition of His wisdom,  His power, His love, His life, His character, His peace, and His joy. He is teaching us, training us, bringing us along, applying the paint in  exactly the right places, producing a marvelous masterpiece to be put on display. This is to result in good works: kindness, love, mercy,  compassion, help to one another, meeting one another’s needs.( Ray Stedman)

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346