Words of Wisdom for this July 2nd.

The Conditions of Discipleship

by Oswald Chambers

"Great crowds were following Jesus. He turned around and said to
them, 'If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father
and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters--yes, more than your own
life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And you cannot be my
disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me....

'So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything for
me.'" Luke 14:26-27, 33

If the closest relationships of a disciple’s life conflict with the claims
of Jesus Christ, then our Lord requires instant obedience to Himself.
Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person— our Lord Jesus
Christ. There is a vast difference between devotion to a person and devotion to
principles or to a cause. Our Lord never proclaimed a cause— He proclaimed
personal devotion to Himself. To be a disciple is to be a devoted bondservant
motivated by love for the Lord Jesus. Many of us who call ourselves Christians
are not truly devoted to Jesus Christ. No one on earth has this passionate love
for the Lord Jesus unless the Holy Spirit has given it to him. We may admire,
respect, and revere Him, but we cannot love Him on our own. The only One who
truly loves the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit, and it is He who has "poured out
in our hearts" the very "love of God" (Romans 5:5 ). Whenever the Holy Spirit sees an opportunity to glorify Jesus through you, He will take your entire being and set you ablaze with glowing devotion to Jesus Christ.

The Christian life is a life characterized by true and spontaneous
creativity. Consequently, a disciple is subject to the same charge that was
leveled against Jesus Christ, namely, the charge of inconsistency. But Jesus
Christ was always consistent in His relationship to God, and a Christian must be
consistent in his relationship to the life of the Son of God in him, not
consistent to strict, unyielding doctrines. People pour themselves into their
own doctrines, and God has to blast them out of their preconceived ideas before
they can become devoted to Jesus Christ.

So, remember that your devotion is to be focused on Christ above any person--whether friend, relative, or leader-- or thing--idealology, possession, cause, job, etc. Always honor God first.