No matter what 

No matter what, Will you continue to praise him? 

Will you still praise him if you lost your whole family? 

Will you still praise him if there was a gun to your head? 

Will you still praise him if all you had was him alone? 

Is he enough for you? 

Think about it. 

Will you choose to praise your father in the midst of EVERYTHING? 

Ok, to be more relatable. 

Will you still praise him if you were single the rest of your life? 

Will you still praise him if you had no social media? 

Will you still praise him if all your friends left you for someone else? 

Will you still praise him if you lost your closest loved one? 

It’s real talk now.

Looking at Matthew 10:16-42 Jesus is preparing his disciples for persecution, allowing them to count the cost of following him. 

v.16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.” 

Jesus calls us to a higher mission. Meaning he calls us out of the comfortability that family, friends, and this world gives. 

v.21-22 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” 

Taking up your cross means to publicly Identify with him, to experience opposition and to face suffering and even death for his sake. 

v.34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” 

Following Jesus isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. As we take up our cross and follow him, our different values and morals will set us apart from others. When you give your life to Jesus people may leave, relationships may break, but this is where your devotion to the lord with be revealed. We have the choice to stand firm in our surrender or choose comfort in not being set apart.

v.37-39 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their sons or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” 

What am I willing to pay to follow Jesus? Will satan be able to find your price point? (which is where you would say no to Jesus.) How far does the devil have to go to get to your price point?

He calls us to let go of everything for the cost of discipleship, literally everything. So it’s time for you to decide If you are going to choose life or death, freedom or bondage, temporary pleasure or eternal joy. 

This has been something I have wrestled with the past month. Will I praise him no matter what? It was hard to find my confident yes, but it has been so freeing once I did. So I encourage you to wrestle with that question, will you praise him no matter what! 

https://missional.life/brooke-williford

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:))))