“Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “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. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.....So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭14:25-27, 33‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

This is one of those, what I would call, hard Scriptures in the Bible. One thing about our Master He did not mince words. And He told us Himself that whatever He would say would be exactly what the Father has told Him to say. So this is what the Father thinks about this.

Always remember we are to read the Bible in its context. Very important! The Bible has lots of Scriptures about loving others and honoring others.

What Jesus is saying is that we must be willing to give up and leave behind all of those things that we consider as precious to us. And follow Him.  Here's how the Message Bible renders Luke 14:33: 

“Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple.

It's a matter of deciding what comes first in our life? His things or mine?

It won't be easy! But with His help we can do exactly what He says we must do to truly be a disciple and follower of His.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need.."
Psalm 23:1 Good News Bible

What a precious promise this is! My friend when we make Jesus the Lord of our lives He takes on the responsibility of being our Good Shepherd!  This is a BIG DEAL!

When you make Him Lord of your life you enter into a covenant with Him.  That if you will do what He says He will do what He says in His Word!  

Doesn't get any better that that!

You are His and He will take care of you if you truly allow him to be Lord of your life. That means that you put Him first place. Not when it's convenient but ALL the time.

If you do that you will have not only your needs met but you will have more than enough to be a blessing to others. That's the position you want to be in, a blessing to others!

So I would encourage you today to take a moment and talk to Him about helping you to put Him first in every decision you make.  About making Him truly first in your life.

Our Good Shepherd will show you what adjustments may need to be made.  He will help you!

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:24-27‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

​Here in Florida the possibility of a tropical storm or hurricane is very real.  Just recently we had a tropical storm, Emily, that dumped up to 8 inches of rain in some parts of our area. It formed so quickly I know it took many by surprise. 
Well right now we are in the middle of hurricane season and there is always the constant reminder that we should be prepared.

Hurricane Gert  is kicking up her heels off our eastern seaboard of the United States and there are two areas of disturbance marching westward from Africa across the Atlantic towards the Caribbean.  The storms are expected to intensify over the next 5 to 7 days and I'm sure we will be reminded to get ready, be prepared!

Today's Scripture, the words of Jesus, is a reminder to get ready, be prepared because storms will come. These storms are more than just wind and rain. They are the issues and challenges that we face in every day life.

Jesus said we can be like the wise man or the foolish one. The difference between the two is that the wise one not only heard what Jesus said but they did what Jesus said. Whereas the foolish one heard what Jesus said but failed to act on it. One put feet to their faith and the other did not.

Check out the Message Bible:  “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.
26-27 “But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”
28-29 When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying—quite a contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever heard.

It's up to you and I which one we will be!  Oh and one other thing, let's not wait for the storm to hit but let's get ready and be prepared before hand!

"The Lord is my shepherd.....He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name."
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23:1,3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When we trust Jesus as our Good Shepherd He will take amazing care of us! Scripture tells us that He can do above and beyond anything that we could imagine or think. Jesus said nothing is impossible with God. How awesome is that?

Young's literal translation (author of Young's Concordance) renders verse 3 this way, "My soul He refresheth...." 

You can enter into times of refreshing and gaining of strength no matter what is happening in the world around you. It doesn't matter....unless you let it matter!

As you follow your Good Shepherd He will renew and refresh you. And He will guide you in the right direction. Always! Guaranteed ! 

So when you're stuck not knowing what to do, ask Him.  Novel idea huh? In fact that's a great habit to get into. Before moving, or making a decision check with Him. Make it part of your daily lifestyle.

Speaking from experience too often we can be quick to act. Do something, anything! Now! That's where we get in trouble or should I (Ron) say I've gotten in trouble. But if you don't have a particular leading from Him don't make a move. Wait and listen until you hear from Him and know what to do. 

Our amazing and wonderful Good Shepherd will take good care of us!