Jesus tells us in Luke 14:26 “If any man come to Me and hate not his father and mother, and his wife and children, and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” He was by no means saying to actually hate anyone. He taught the exact opposite in Mark when he teaches to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (12:31). The point of the beginning scripture is to emphasize the cost of a relationship with Christ. Luke 14:27 goes on to say that “whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” In other words, nothing or no one is more important than our relationship with Jesus. He was willing to bear our burden through His cross for our sins to save us from Hell. As believers, our burden, or cross to bear, is making sure we reach out to as many lost people as possible and share with them the love of Christ! We should morn and grieve with the thought of lost souls that do not know our wonderful Savior and Deliverer.
Recently, I have been reading through Ecclesiastes. In reading Solomon’s reflection on his life, I have became so convicted. Solomon was given insurmountable wisdom from God and riches beyond anything I can even imagine. I’m sure the people in his kingdom thought he “had it all.” He built a beautiful temple for God, lived in the palace, had unimaginable amounts of land and servants to work the ground, and several wives. After all this he admits his entire life was “vanity.”
Solomon started his rule as king close to God, much like his father, David. Like so many of us, the more he gained in wisdom and riches the more he fell away. Solomon admits that all the riches and wisdom in the world mean absolutely nothing if you fail to use it for God’s glory. He was chasing satisfaction through worldly desires, but he was completely empty. He says, “ Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled: And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.” (2:11) The richest and wisest man in the world, had wasted his life on things that didn’t really matter in the purpose of life.
What lessons can we learn from Solomon?
1. God gave us a beautiful world to enjoy. We should not get so bogged down with the day to day grind that we forget to take a moment to slow down and enjoy what God has blessed us with. I do not necessarily mean material things but, it’s ok to take time to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Enjoy your family and the creation. Eccl 2:24 “Nothing is better for a man than he should eat and drink, and that his should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.”
2. Seeking riches and worldly wisdom will not satisfy our soul. Solomon learned this as an old man looking back on his life. He was grieved with the fact that he wasted so much time and fell away from God Almighty. Chapter 1:12-14 he writes, “I, the preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping at the wind.”
3. Live life with purpose, not losing site of what we are meant to do. How can Solomon’s story tie to the teachings of Jesus? Of course, the Messiah had not come yet when Solomon was living, but we can still use both teachings for today. God gave Solomon the gift of wisdom and blessed him with with riches in order for him to impact God’s kingdom. Solomon instead used what God gave him for his own vain desires. He died with a lot of sorrow and regret. We, as followers of Jesus Christ, have a burden or cross to bear. Our focus should be how can I use what God gave me to impact His Kingdom? We all have God given abilities. It is so important that we do not lose focus on the fact that we are all called to make disciples of Jesus. We have to be willing to sacrifice everything in order to fulfill that commandment. No one or no thing can come between us and our relationship with Christ, and part of that relationship is showing Jesus to the world.
In conclusion, no Jesus was not actually telling us to “hate” our families. He was telling us that we have to love him enough to make fulfilling His will number 1 in our lives. Figure out what passions God has given you and use them for His Kingdom. Don’t wake up one day and realize you wasted everything God gave you. Our life is but a vapor that is here for a little while then vanishes away (James 4:14). What are you going to do with your vapor? How are you going to take up the burden for lost souls and make a difference in your community? If my husband and I can use competitive cooking to impact Christ’s kingdom, you can use anything.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we ask that you keep us focused and help us not to lose site of our purpose in life to win souls for you. Show us what you would have us to do to impact people for You. Amen
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