“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? Its fit neither for the soil nor for the manure heap; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Luke 14: 33-34)
Money, Sex, and Power. These are three big things that we can cultivate to be the most important things in life. To non believers they are mostly what life revolves around, and people seek joy, security and identity out of having these things. To us as believers we can so easily without even realising slip into thinking the way the world thinks and into making these things a bigger priority than God. In themselves these things are not a bad thing and can be used in many ways to glorify God. But put these things ahead of God or make these things your God and we are in a dangerous place.
I am at present sitting on a cruise liner called the Queen Mary 2. It is run by a company called Cunard cruise liners and they put on the most luxurious cruises in the world. I am on the Queen Mary from Southampton to New York and all I can say is its amazing and luxurious and comfortable but utterly ridiculous in its extravagance. Afternoon tea served by men in white jackets, massages in the spa and 5 course meals daily. Oh yeah am I enjoying myself!!!
This last week (in the lead up to coming away and whilst I have been away) God I think has decided to teach me about my love for money and about laying it down completely. He definitely has a sense of humour to do it by bringing me on this cruise but it means that the challenge is around me daily. I have many stories about the lead up to this cruise and some big big challenges that Daddy’s given me, even in the last week but it would take ages to go into them. In short, a no shopping pact, a beautiful dress my mum then bought me for £150 and then God challenging me to not accept it : ( and many other things such as these.
My god has been money. That’s been my safety, my reliance, my identity, my understanding of love, my provision. Yes its been my god. My value and self worth have a lot of the time been placed in what I own or what latest designer gear I have. Perhaps unintentionally and without realising, but its just kind of seeped in to my life.
I was sitting in the Royal theatre on board the ship last night. We were watching a fantastic show put on by the RADA company in London and the Julliard School from the states. I was looking around and the men looked fabulous in their bow ties and the ladies all dressed up in beautiful gowns and diamonds and designer handbags and shoes. This is the life, I thought to myself. Later on as I was in bed reflecting on the day I wrote the following into my journal:
“I really loved tonight Lord. And today. I have had a fabulous dinner and Louis (our new friend who dines with us every night!) even brought out a couple of bottles of champagne. It was delightful and the champagne was delicious. My worry daddy is that I love this lifestyle so much. A bit too much maybe. I love the well to do men in their tuxes and the ladies in their dresses. I love this world. If I give up on this or if I want to seek your kingdom God and kingdom things do I have to give up on this? Where do those two things meet? What’s the clash? In the worlds eyes to turn away from my love for these things is weak but in your eyes it’s the best way. I guess I am just processing where I stand and what I think.”
So this was on my mind as I lay in bed. I couldn’t switch off or sleep and so I reached for my bible and turned to the back. I wanted to find a passage on money and what Jesus had to say about it. My eye fell on a passage titles ‘The cost of discipleship’. It was from Luke 14: 33-34 and it says this:
“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? Its fit neither for the soil nor for the manure heap; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
When Jesus called Simon and Andrew to follow him he said “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” It goes on to say that “at once they left their nets and followed him.” (Mark 1:16-18)
So these guys just put their nets down and followed Him. Mental? Crazy? Reckless? Maybe, but so important if we want to live as radical God focused and kingdom focused people. My focus just has to be God now. I have to rely on Him and not on my parents money. This is going to be hard I can tell you now. Im not really sure as to the outworking of this (lol to the fact that im on a cruise ship in the middle of the atlantic sailing to New York) but all I know right now is what God has challenged me on and I know that action on my behalf is needed.
What am I prepared to lay down? My new black dress? Well it’s a start. How can I do this and have the strength to do this? I was drawn to this passage from Proverbs 2: 3-5 and it says this “If you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”
Daddy God, I love that in order to speak to me, in order to show me your provision and your ability to care for me lovingly, in order to tell your little one once more that you hold her in the palm of your hand and that you have plans for me, and that im to leave whats behind, you bring me into the middle of the atlantic ocean away from everything and everyone. It is soooo perfect and so of you. Your teaching me so many lessons and teaching me to hear your voice.
REMEMBER: It’s not about the destination but about the journey…!!!
One last story:
These have been the challenges on my heart in the last week or so. I am being challenged to step away from relying on my parents for money and to rely on God more. And the other day I opened my door to find our concierge Jerry holding an envelope. It was addressed to me. In it was two tickets to go around Manhattan and this included the transfers and the looking after of all our luggage. This is crazy for two reasons. 1st reason: it normally costs $100 each for these tickets and they came for free. 2nd reason: No one knew that me and my mum were looking into doing something like this. We had hoped to do something like this but we wernt sure if it was going to be possible in the short amount of time we had. They also came addressed to me. No one knew which were our rooms or our flight times to have been able to organise something like this. At this present time I can only put it down to one thing. Daddy showing me that he is my provider. That I don’t have to rely on my parents to provide and look after me because He will. It can only be God. There is no other explanation. Anyway I feel truly blessed by it and it’s a great encouragement in this time of putting my trust fully in Him who is our great provider. On the mountain of the Lord, it will be provided!!!
So this is my challenge. God keeps showing me time and time again the true cost of discipleship and what this means. It is hard. And painful. And surrendering means to lose control. And not always no what the outcome will be. And it means trusting. And it means not holding onto the things that this world deem important. But out of these places of opening our hands and saying God I give you control of this comes joy. And a sweetness that I have just found to be completely beyond human understanding. I cant get my head around it. So Jesus take this love for money. I surrender a life of luxury and relying on my parents and I say I open my hand up to your plans, your purposes and great adventures following you!!
Hallelujah and Amen!!!!
