What does ‘everything’ mean?

Luke 14:33 records Jesus saying: “any of you who does not give up everything he has, cannot be my disciple.” Wow! What a big call!

So does that mean that every single one of us (if we are really followers, not fans) must sell our homes, cars, clothes … in fact, every possession we have?

Well, ‘no’. So then, what does Jesus mean? He means that to be truly following him means that he is Number One in your life … if you are a spouse, it means that you want Him to be No. 1 in your marriage … if you have children, it means that above anything else, you want your kids to love and serve Jesus as Saviour and Lord … and that we speak and live that out.

Giving up ‘everything’ means that we understand and live out the reality that all of ‘our’ possessions, spouse, children, time, energy etc. are not actually ultimately ours, but that they belong to God and are for his glory. This means that we are stewards, not builders of our own empires.

So, e.g. a man’s house isn’t really ‘his castle’, but should be a place for love where we help and urge ourselves, our spouses, our kids, our neighbours and friends, to live for Jesus. One implication of this is that we will actively practice hospitality, of both church and non-church people, because life is about people—ultimately One: Jesus.

‘Giving up everything’ means that if Jesus wanted you or me to, we would sell our house, cars, prized possessions etc. So think about actually doing that. How do you react to that idea? Your response might indicate if you have ‘given up everything’, or not.

So, yes, this Not A Fan series is challenging for me and for you … because it’s meant to be. However, it is in dying to self that we find and experience life, life as it’s meant to be, true life. The rewards of that—for ourselves, our spouse, our children, our fellow TGS’ers, our neighbours etc.—are beyond valuing.

So are you (& I) currently giving ‘everything’? Please sit down and have a real think about it today. Then decide what you are going to do about it, this week.

What does ‘giving everything’ look like for you and your family?



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