We Must Answer His Call

by Joanne Lowe
Published March 14, 2008

“And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”

Luke 14: 25 - 27
King James Version

I remember many years ago when I first felt God calling me to the mission field, I was filled with awe that God would love me enough to allow me the privilege and honor of serving Him. I couldn’t wait to call my Mom and tell her. I will never forget what she said to me when I called her. She said “Who did you say called you?” I said “God called me.” She said “You talk like He is real.” I said “Mom, He is real.”

I didn’t surrender to the mission field for several more years after He called me because I had told a friend about God calling me and she replied “You had better think about saying yes some more because everyone will be watching you. You will be like a fish in a fish bowl.” I thought about what she said and I decided that I did not want people watching my every move. I thought that it was too expensive a price to pay to serve Jesus. That was before I fell in love with Jesus.

Oh dear people, God is real. Jesus is real. The Holy Spirit is real. The crucifixion of our precious Saviour is real. Jesus did walk that long lonely road to Calvary and there allow them to spit on Him, curse Him, mock Him, pluck His beard, and crucify Him on the old rugged cross for you and for me. There is no greater love than the love of our Heavenly Father and Jesus. No one loves us like they love us.

Our passage of Scripture for this devotional tells us that if we don’t hate our families and ourselves, we cannot be His disciples. Does this mean that we are to hate them in the sense that we think about hating someone? No, of course not, the very nature of Jesus is love. He is love! We are to love our families unconditionally. What it does mean is that we are to put Him ahead of our families and ahead of our own selfish wants and desires.

I remember a sermon that one of my pastors preached in Texas when I lived there. My pastor said “I did not want to leave my family and the comforts of home when God called me to become an evangelist.” I wonder how many of us can relate to the way that my pastor felt. I think if we will search our hearts that there have been times when God called us to do something and we were unwilling to get out of our comfort zones and answer His call.

Our Scripture for this devotion also tells us that if we aren’t willing to bear our cross and come after Him, we cannot be His disciples. Sometimes the cross that we have to bear while serving Jesus gets very heavy and painful. I have received countless emails from people who have told me that they have been criticized for serving Jesus. I, too, have been criticized for serving Him.

However, when I am criticized for serving Jesus, all that I have to do is remember that my precious Saviour was treated horribly and endured criticism, sarcasm and hatred that you and I will never experience when He was here on earth. In the light of His suffering, the criticism that I have to bear is nothing. Not only did He endure criticism, rejection, sarcasm and hatred, He died for me. How can I do less than give Him not only my heart, but also my life and my time when He has done so much for me?

Tomorrow, should Jesus tarry His return for us, I will have had the joy, the honor and the privilege of serving Him full time for three years. These last three years have been the happiest, most joyous years of my life. What a privilege, what a joy and what an honor to be able to serve my very best friend, Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Saviour of the world! Indeed, He is the King of kings and Lord of lords and one day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! What a glorious day that will be when my precious Saviour finally gets the respect, the honor and the glory that He so richly deserves.

Have you answered His call to surrender your heart, your life and all of your time to Him? Have you given everything to Him or are you still holding something back from Him? He gave His all for you when He died on that cross of torture and horror. Are you willing to say yes to Jesus no matter what He asks you to do? If not, you need to ask Him to forgive you.

He shed His own blood for you. How can you not give Him all that you have? It all comes down to the level of love you have for Him. The level of our service for Jesus depends on the level of love we have for Him. How much do you love Him and how much are you willing to give to Him? He doesn’t treat us like we are puppets. He won’t pull your strings like you are a puppet. He wants you to give everything to Him willingly. I urge you to give your heart, your life and all that you have to the One who gave His all for you.

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