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There is no man that hast left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife or children, for the kingdom of God's sake. Who shall not receive more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting. Lk18:29-30 In reading the gospel one cannot be but struck by the exhortation of Jesus to make him the number one priority in one's life. There is a faith to move mountains (Mk11:23-24), there is a faith to heal the sick, there is a faith to perform miracles, but none of those operations of faith supersede the faith to seek first the kingdom of God (Mt6:33). There will be two in the field, one will be taken and one will be left behind. Jesus doesn't want us left behind. (Lk17:36) It is not a question of ego. Jesus doesn't want us to make him first because he is the son of God. He doesn't want us to make him first because he is the king of kings. He wants us to make him first because unless we do, we shall not inherit the kingdom. Unless he is first in our life we will not receive eternal life. St. Paul tells us in 1Cor4:20 that the kingdom of God is not in word (talk) but in power. So unless we enter the kingdom of God we will not perform miracles, move mountains, or heal the sick with regularity or confident assurance. It will be trial and error at best. But if we enter the kingdom of God, not only will we inherit everlasting life, our time on earth will be fruitful and life giving bearing testimony to the power of God. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father without him (Jn14:6). Without Jesus we perish. The condition of salvation is faith in Christ who shed his blood for the remission of sin. We are saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works lest any man boast. (Eph2:8-9) The just shall live by faith (Rm1:17, Gal3:11, Heb10:38) So faith is a necessary condition to all the blessings of God (faith and charity). If I have faith to move mountains but have not charity it profits me nothing (1Cor13) The gospels of Christ are very challenging. The parables of the kingdom clearly reveal to us the importance of forsaking the world for Christ. They challenge us to seal our commitment by making real decisions about the present and about our future. For Jesus the kingdom of God is more important than any earthly relationship and that is the sting. Letting go of the world is extremely difficult for most of us. When I read the gospels I knew exactly what Jesus was asking of me. I knew he wanted me to abandon everything for him and I knew how frightened I was to do it. When I said yes to Christ he helped me do it. He helped me do what I could not do alone. If you say yes to Christ, he will help you too. He knows our weakness. He knows our fears. So do not dilute the word of God. Take it at face value and ask Jesus to help you live it out. If you do, there will be suffering and pain. You will share in the suffering of Christ. But if you do, you will also share in the resurrection. amen |