The Cost of Following Christ
One of the most famous fables told by Edwin Friedman is “The Bridge.” It’s about a man who tried to find the path to success and the purpose of his life. After many years of aimless meandering in life, he finally found the meaning of life and the path to success.
Realizing life is short, he devoted his entire focus, time, and energy on the journey to fulfill his life purpose.
One day as he was crossing a bridge, he saw a man of equal stature walking toward him from the other side of the bridge. As he came near, he noticed that he had a rope around his waist. When they met at the middle of the bridge the man gave him one end of the rope and asked him to hold it.
He took the rope without knowing what it means, but suddenly the man with the rope jumped down the bridge. He quickly pulled the rope to bring him back, but the weight of the other man was about the same as him, so he was not able to pull him up. He asked the man, “Why did you jump down? I can’t pull you up. You have to climb up and I will hold the rope up here.”
The guy replied, “If I fall, it’s your fault. You better secure the rope by tying the rope around your waist so that I won’t fall.” He did as the other guy said, and then shouted, “I have secured the rope around my waist. You can climb up now.” The other man said, “If I fall and die, it will be your fault.”
“But you must climb up. I can’t hang in here for long. I am on a journey. I have my life goal to fulfill. I must continue before it is too late.” He pleaded him to climb up. But the other man replied, “Make sure your end of the rope is secure. If I die, it’s your fault.” The guy just stayed dangling there without doing anything.
“If you don’t climb up, I have no choice but release the rope,” the man warned. The other man repeated, “If I die, it’s your fault.” “I don’t want you to die. I am here to help you until you climb your way up. But hurry up, if you don’t climb up, I have to let you go,” he shouted to him with a serious tone.
The other man refused to help himself and shouted back, “If I die, it’s your fault.” It went on for hours. The man couldn’t find any other help around. He knew if he didn’t continue on his journey, he would be late. So, he shouted for the last time, “I will give you three minutes. If you don’t start climbing up, I’ll have to let you go.”
Three minutes went by, but the other guy didn’t take any action. The man untied the rope from his waist and released it. Then, he continued his journey without looking back.
Do you think this man is cruel to let go of the rope? Do you think it’s against the principle of “loving your neighbor as yourself”? How do you understand this story?
The fact is, we all encounter people in life just like the man with the rope. The rope represents an emotional rope. They will give you the rope and get you emotionally tangled with them. They keep you stuck on your journey and blame you if you try to stop engaging them in the emotional entanglement. How many people in your life have given you a rope like this to hold?
There are people like this that don’t have anything better to do but to get you stuck with them. They are people without a purpose. You think you are being kind to help them out and help them recover, but they know exactly how to abuse your kindness to keep you stuck. If you have the consciousness to see there is a choice—to let go of the rope, or to get stuck and never get the chance to fulfill your divine calling.
Jesus had a similar situation in the scripture lesson in (Luke 9:51-62), “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; 53 but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.” (vv. 51-53).
Notice that it repeatedly mentions “his face” and that “his face was set toward Jerusalem.” Jesus had a goal and a divine purpose to fulfill. “His face” is set toward that goal. His mind is focused on fulfilling his divine calling, and everything else become less important.
The Samaritans gave him an emotional rope, implying that if you want to stay at our village, you must do what we tell you to do, not what God tells you to do. One way or another they are trying to get emotionally tangled with Jesus.
Jesus didn’t take the rope, but the disciples did. “When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 Then they went on to another village.” (vv. 54-56).
At personal level, how many times have you react to those who gave you a rope and got you entangled? Jesus rebuke the disciples for doing that and just continue on his journey because he has a bigger fish to fry.
If you want to please God and cultivate a fruitful life, you have to drop the ropes the aimless people give you, or you will get stuck on the way. People without divine calling are miserable and misery loves company. It’s one thing to be kind to them but it’s another thing to get yourself stuck.
The cost of following Christ is that you might end up displeasing people on your journey to fulfill God’s will. What it says here is that, if you are a people-pleaser, you ware not worthy of following Christ.
Reverend Calvin Wyatt /email: /calvincosmo30@gmail.com /calvincosmo@facebook.com.
One of the most famous fables told by Edwin Friedman is “The Bridge.” It’s about a man who tried to find the path to success and the purpose of his life. After many years of aimless meandering in life, he finally found the meaning of life and the path to success.
Realizing life is short, he devoted his entire focus, time, and energy on the journey to fulfill his life purpose.
One day as he was crossing a bridge, he saw a man of equal stature walking toward him from the other side of the bridge. As he came near, he noticed that he had a rope around his waist. When they met at the middle of the bridge the man gave him one end of the rope and asked him to hold it.
He took the rope without knowing what it means, but suddenly the man with the rope jumped down the bridge. He quickly pulled the rope to bring him back, but the weight of the other man was about the same as him, so he was not able to pull him up. He asked the man, “Why did you jump down? I can’t pull you up. You have to climb up and I will hold the rope up here.”
The guy replied, “If I fall, it’s your fault. You better secure the rope by tying the rope around your waist so that I won’t fall.” He did as the other guy said, and then shouted, “I have secured the rope around my waist. You can climb up now.” The other man said, “If I fall and die, it will be your fault.”
“But you must climb up. I can’t hang in here for long. I am on a journey. I have my life goal to fulfill. I must continue before it is too late.” He pleaded him to climb up. But the other man replied, “Make sure your end of the rope is secure. If I die, it’s your fault.” The guy just stayed dangling there without doing anything.
“If you don’t climb up, I have no choice but release the rope,” the man warned. The other man repeated, “If I die, it’s your fault.” “I don’t want you to die. I am here to help you until you climb your way up. But hurry up, if you don’t climb up, I have to let you go,” he shouted to him with a serious tone.
The other man refused to help himself and shouted back, “If I die, it’s your fault.” It went on for hours. The man couldn’t find any other help around. He knew if he didn’t continue on his journey, he would be late. So, he shouted for the last time, “I will give you three minutes. If you don’t start climbing up, I’ll have to let you go.”
Three minutes went by, but the other guy didn’t take any action. The man untied the rope from his waist and released it. Then, he continued his journey without looking back.
Do you think this man is cruel to let go of the rope? Do you think it’s against the principle of “loving your neighbor as yourself”? How do you understand this story?
The fact is, we all encounter people in life just like the man with the rope. The rope represents an emotional rope. They will give you the rope and get you emotionally tangled with them. They keep you stuck on your journey and blame you if you try to stop engaging them in the emotional entanglement. How many people in your life have given you a rope like this to hold?
There are people like this that don’t have anything better to do but to get you stuck with them. They are people without a purpose. You think you are being kind to help them out and help them recover, but they know exactly how to abuse your kindness to keep you stuck. If you have the consciousness to see there is a choice—to let go of the rope, or to get stuck and never get the chance to fulfill your divine calling.
Jesus had a similar situation in the scripture lesson in (Luke 9:51-62), “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; 53 but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.” (vv. 51-53).
Notice that it repeatedly mentions “his face” and that “his face was set toward Jerusalem.” Jesus had a goal and a divine purpose to fulfill. “His face” is set toward that goal. His mind is focused on fulfilling his divine calling, and everything else become less important.
The Samaritans gave him an emotional rope, implying that if you want to stay at our village, you must do what we tell you to do, not what God tells you to do. One way or another they are trying to get emotionally tangled with Jesus.
Jesus didn’t take the rope, but the disciples did. “When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 Then they went on to another village.” (vv. 54-56).
At personal level, how many times have you react to those who gave you a rope and got you entangled? Jesus rebuke the disciples for doing that and just continue on his journey because he has a bigger fish to fry.
If you want to please God and cultivate a fruitful life, you have to drop the ropes the aimless people give you, or you will get stuck on the way. People without divine calling are miserable and misery loves company. It’s one thing to be kind to them but it’s another thing to get yourself stuck.
The cost of following Christ is that you might end up displeasing people on your journey to fulfill God’s will. What it says here is that, if you are a people-pleaser, you ware not worthy of following Christ.
- Samuel Stone
Reverend Calvin Wyatt /email: /calvincosmo30@gmail.com /calvincosmo@facebook.com.
EMP0WERMENT
What Is Your Father's Business?
Winning souls is our Father’s business. Once we win folks to Christ, we must grow them in the Lord.
Growth in a newborn is a lot on the parent and some on the child. As they grow & develop, they learned what they need, even learn foods they don’t like. Preschoolers can tell you when something hurts or bothers them. You can listen to their hurts and help them.
Our Father’s business is about growing up newborn babes in the Faith.
‘As newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,’ -! Peter 2:2
Newborns need milk, but after time they will grow – they graduate to meat.
The meat of God’s word is what nurtures us.
Question: Are you still drinking the basic spiritual milk? Or are you growing daily & need the Spiritual meat of the Christian life?
Paul was encouraging his friend Timothy and wrote this to him: ‘All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete. Thoroughly equipped for every good work.’ -2 Timothy 3:16-17
Ask: To be about our Father’s business, we must be helping other Christians to grow, in their faith.
Ask: Who are you helping grow in their faith?
Who’s the last person you prayed with over their need?
Who’s the last person you’ve invited over to your home for a meal?
How can you invest in other brothers/sisters in the Lord – to build up the Kingdom?
We all need to drop our own agenda.
Drop your friends’ agenda or your groups’ agenda & get ‘on board’ with our Father’s business.
1) Be in the Father’s House – we’ll have Church.
2) Share with the lost – win souls for Christ.
3) Build up & train fellow believers in the Word and through a prayer time.
Winning souls is our Father’s business. Once we win folks to Christ, we must grow them in the Lord.
Growth in a newborn is a lot on the parent and some on the child. As they grow & develop, they learned what they need, even learn foods they don’t like. Preschoolers can tell you when something hurts or bothers them. You can listen to their hurts and help them.
Our Father’s business is about growing up newborn babes in the Faith.
‘As newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,’ -! Peter 2:2
Newborns need milk, but after time they will grow – they graduate to meat.
The meat of God’s word is what nurtures us.
Question: Are you still drinking the basic spiritual milk? Or are you growing daily & need the Spiritual meat of the Christian life?
Paul was encouraging his friend Timothy and wrote this to him: ‘All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete. Thoroughly equipped for every good work.’ -2 Timothy 3:16-17
Ask: To be about our Father’s business, we must be helping other Christians to grow, in their faith.
Ask: Who are you helping grow in their faith?
Who’s the last person you prayed with over their need?
Who’s the last person you’ve invited over to your home for a meal?
How can you invest in other brothers/sisters in the Lord – to build up the Kingdom?
We all need to drop our own agenda.
Drop your friends’ agenda or your groups’ agenda & get ‘on board’ with our Father’s business.
1) Be in the Father’s House – we’ll have Church.
2) Share with the lost – win souls for Christ.
3) Build up & train fellow believers in the Word and through a prayer time.
A Clarion Call:
If you have not yet received the Lord Jesus into your life, or you once received Him but backslid, make yourself available of this opportunity and pray this prayer: There is no degree of sin the Lord cannot blot out. Do not postpone, for tomorrow may be too late.
Father I come before you as a sinner (Romans 3:23)
I sincerely repent of my sins (Acts 3:19)
I believe that Jesus died and was resurrected to grant me salvation
(John 3:16)
Today, as I receive Him into my heart by faith, grant me grace,
not to go back to my old sinful ways (Proverbs 28:13)
Thank you Lord for saving me.
