Only The Lonely

I played a song for my wife the other night. She was unimpressed. Yet the song reminded me of something . . . something. But what was it?

I played it again just the other night after seeing it pop up in my YouTube feed. Again. Then it came to me. It was a Bible verse.

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters - yes, even their own life - such a person cannot be my disciple." - Luke 14:26

That was Jesus telling us that if we don't hate everyone on earth we cannot be His disciple.

What?!? Why does Jesus want to us to hate everyone? Wasn't He the one who told us that we were supposed to love our neighbors as ourselves?

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself." - Matthew 22:39

The operative word in this verse is "hate." So, what does this mean? I'm confused.

Basically, the Greek word translated as 'hate' means 'to love less.' The context surrounding the verse is about the cost of discipleship. We must be willing to leave everything for Jesus.

With that concept in mind, we can begin to see how discipleship is a game that 'only the lonely can play.'

In another place a rich young man came to Jesus and asked, "What good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²²When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth." - Matthew 19:21-22

Jesus must be #1 in our lives - our highest priority. The question we must ultimately ask ourselves is this:

"Do you love me more than these?" - Jesus, John 21:15

That's a tough question to answer, given the world we live in today. Do we love Jesus most of all? Our answer must be, and HAS TO BE, "Yes, Lord! I love you with all of my heart. Sacrificially, unconditionally, with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength."

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹(and) . . . ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12:30-31

Only The Lonely - The Motels

Hate Father & Mother -

 GotQuestions.org