Title
God, and God Alone
Scripture
If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
(Luke 14:26)
Devotional
At first glance, this is a hard text. Throughout the Bible, we are told to love our brothers, honor our parents, and love our spouses. Yet this text states that we are to hate them. Is this a contradiction of scripture? Two rules of interpretation answer the question. First, always interpret the implicit with the explicit. That is, understand the unclear with the clear. The second rule is to interpret in context. That is, utilize the surrounding words and verses to understand the meaning of the unclear text. If we utilize these two rules, we will find that we’re being instructed not to embrace this life over the eternal life promised in Christ. This life compared to eternity is to be hated. The temporal is simply not to be loved above the eternal. The only life that matters is the life found in Christ. We are to love people, and the eternal life available to them, not the temporal life they presently inhabit.
Thought For The Night
“[The] inner goal, to forsake the world and follow Christ, cannot be had by one's own natural powers but is by the free gift of God.” Carthusian monk, “Faith in the Middle Ages,” Christian History Magazine.
Evening Text
Luke 14:26: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”
Looking for Answers
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Does God ever contradict Himself?
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When there appears to be a contradiction in the Bible, what is the usual cause? Consider Jeremiah 5:21.
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What does our text mean to you?
Evening Study Guide
Defining: Clive Staples Lewis says it so very well, “When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. Insofar as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving toward the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased.”
Referencing: “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me,” Matthew 10:37.
Applying: Observe the Shema[1], “…You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength,” Deuteronomy 6:4-5.
[1] The name of and first Hebrew word of the classical Jewish declaration of faith found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5