“Eat your broccoli.” I lovingly encouraged my two year old son Thomas as he sat there in his high chair.  He looked up at me, smiled and politely replied, “No thank you daddy”.  He then insisted I give Him popcorn. I said, “No young man, you must eat your broccoli”. He then threw his broccoli and called me a stinky butt. Of course I reminded him of who’s in charge and that if he didn’t eat his broccoli, then his butt would be more than just a stinky one. Ah rules, no child at first likes them nor do they understand at first why we as parents make them. As parents, we know the rules are there for their own good but all they know is that it sucks when they have to shut off the video game and read a book.  All they know is that it’s such an inconvenience to them when they have to leave the party early to be home in bed by curfew. It’s hard being a parent, especially when you see your kids suffering the consequences of their actions because they failed to heed your counsel. It hurts you more than it hurts them. No loving parent wants to see their kids fail in life. We want them to succeed as adults and that is why when they are young and still under our roof, we are in charge, and we set the rules for them to follow. It’s not to be mean, it’s not so we can show them who’s boss but it’s because we love them and hopefully when they’re older they will appreciate our tough love.  In the same way, God has rules for His children too and He wants us to follow Him and His righteous way of living. Before we became children of God we were once orphans doing our own thing but God adopted us into His family and by His grace, He chose us to live with Him. Now we live in freedom but since we are under His roof, we now must abide by the rules of His house. God is in charge and when He tells us to eat our broccoli we do so because it is for our own good. He must be first in our lives and we must come second. God loves us so much that He knows if we put anything in this creation over the Creator, we are destined to destroy ourselves. Being a disciple and following after Jesus will come at a cost but in the end, the reward far outweighs the sacrifice.  I was reading about this topic in Matthew 8:18-23, where Jesus gives orders to His disciples to get on a boat so they can cross over to the other side. Two of Jesus’s disciples came up to Him and boldly stated that they would follow Jesus no matter what. Jesus tested their hearts to see if they were truly willing but both men realizing the sacrifice it would take, changed their minds and opted not to follow Him.  The first man was a scribe and to him, following Jesus was just an intellectual experience with Jesus. Anything outside of just having a good discussion or listening to one of Jesus’s teachings was the extent of his commitment in following Jesus. For he addresses Jesus as “Teacher”. He considered Jesus an eloquent speaker, one full of wisdom and of great insight. He probably considered Jesus to be one of his religious peers but when Jesus told Him that to follow Him would mean he would have no place to lay his head, the man got nervous. You see, his heart was in his possessions and anything that would make his way of life uncomfortable was not for him. Sometimes believers can be like that today. They fill up the pews on Sunday, listen to a great sermon, have their Bible’s highlighted with all their favorite verses, but when they leave church, they ignore the homeless person in the parking lot while trying to make a mad dash to the nearest Olive Garden for lunch. Stopping to help would only make them feel uncomfortable. After all, they need to save some money for the two dollars they were going to tip their waitress. Some Christians talk a good game but when it comes to giving up their money or sacrificing their comforts to share the gospel with someone, forget about it. They are more attached to their stuff and their comfort zones. To follow Christ we need to be willing to give up our possessions and our comfort zones when Jesus calls us to. Another reason why some choose not to follow Christ is because they are too attached to their relationships. They put people over God. Another disciple of Jesus asked if he could first go and bury his father. Jesus told the man to “leave the dead to bury their own dead”. Sounds cruel doesn’t it? How could Jesus be so mean? But Jesus isn’t saying He doesn’t want us to bury our family members when they die. He is not saying don’t love people because Jesus commands us to love others. In fact in just a few verses prior to this account, Jesus is recorded healing Peter’s mother in law. Jesus is not against caring for ones family, He’s just against it when we put family relationships over Him. Jesus wasn’t trying to be insensitive, He knew what both men needed to help them out in their lives. In fact in the verses that follow this account, we read about the event where Jesus was resting in the boat during a big storm and the disciples panicked in fear for their lives. Think about it, if only the two men listened and followed Jesus, they would’ve gotten into the boat and witnessed a powerful miracle of Jesus getting up from His sleep and calming the wind and the waves. The scribe would’ve come to the conclusion that He doesn’t need to worry about possessions because God who can control the seas, is big enough to provide for his needs. For the man who couldn’t let go of his father, he could’ve witnessed a powerful miracle that would’ve taught him that though his earthly dad may have left him, His Heavenly Father will never leave him. He could’ve come to a deeper trust that the God who calms storms, would get him through his personal storm like the one he was going through with the loss of his dad. However, both men failed to get in the boat and as a result they missed out. You and I as children of God are called to the same standard as these disciples were. We don’t have to always get it right because the disciples that got in the boat didn’t show great faith and there were many times they didn’t get it right either. It’s not so much about performance but more about the heart and what He wants is a desire to follow Him no matter the cost. He is loving and kind and will forgive us when we fail and He gives us His Holy Spirit to equip us for the journey ahead.  God desires we give Him our best simply because He knows it’s for our best and the rewards are knowing Him deeper, experiencing the miraculous, seeing lives saved and living the abundant life. The call to a righteous life is for everyone who puts their trust in Jesus. The price to pay in following Jesus is steep but remember, Jesus paid a big price to buy our freedom from sin and death with His blood on the cross. He gave up the riches of heaven to die for us on a cross, why would we not want to give up everything for Him? Child of God, do you hear Him calling? The time to get in the boat and set sail is now. The time to trade our adventure for His adventure is today. What are you waiting for? There maybe storms along the way, but I promise, we will get to the other side and when we do, we will look back and realize it was well worth the ride.

Matthew 8:18-23

18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.