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When I played team sports growing up, I remember the worst days were known as “conditioning days.” Conditioning would usually consist of running several sprints back to back, with a short amount of rest in between. During this type of training, I’ve seen some athletes pass out, and pretty much everyone puked.
One of my friends was a star on the team, who happened to sprain his ankle a week prior to conditioning day. So, as everyone else was running and puking, he just sat on the bench watching. I recall walking past him watching us, while the rest of the players ran nonstop. I couldn’t help but think — “Well, isn’t he lucky?” I thought, “He gets to be a part of the team, but gets to skip out on all of the hard work.”
The sad thing is, the more I read the Bible, the more I see that in the life of most Christians, this same scenario is taking place. For example, in scripture, Jesus says that He came to bring division between families.
”Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.“ - Luke 12:51-52 NIV
However, the majority of Christians today live at peace with their families and their relationship with Christ doesn’t bring any conflict or division between them. Aren’t we lucky that we don’t have to experience what Jesus said He came to bring?
In another scripture, Jesus says that anyone who does not deny everything and everyone including his own self to follow Him is not fit to be his disciple.
"Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]." - Matthew 16:24 AMP
“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life [in the sense of indifference to or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude toward God]—he cannot be My disciple." - Luke 14:26 AMP
However, today in Christianity, we have been able to hold on to everything and everyone in our life and prioritize them over Jesus while somehow still maintaining a relationship with Him. Aren’t we lucky that Jesus doesn’t expect the same amount of devotion from His followers today as He did in the Bible?
These same scriptures state that if I man does not put his wife, children, and family to the side for what God wants, then he is not fit to be a disciple. And yet, today, you'll hear men say things like, “God has placed this on my heart, but I must check with my wife first.” Aren’t we lucky that we get the privilege of honoring our wife’s opinion over what God has asked us to do?
Throughout the gospels, we see the disciples left everything behind — family, jobs, careers — to follow Jesus.
”Then Peter blurted out, “Here we are. We’ve given up everything to follow you. What reward will there be for us?”“ - Matthew 19:27 TPT
Times are different now, though. When we give our life to God, we don’t have to follow Him. Instead, He gets to follow us to the same job, the same career, and the same plans we had before Him. Aren’t we lucky?
In scripture, there were times when Jesus said that not everyone is fit to be a disciple and He actually turned people away who did want to follow Him.
”Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord [as Your disciple]; but first let me say goodbye to those at my home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things left behind] is fit for the kingdom of God.”“ - Luke 9:61-62 AMP
But that was back then. Nowadays, everyone is magically fit and capable of being a Christian. Aren’t we lucky that He took this standard away and made it easier for you and me?
The truth is, the life of a Christian today is not the life of a disciple when Jesus walked the earth. Which begs the question: are we just lucky that we weren’t alive when the original disciples were called or does God still expect the same commitment?
People often make an excuse saying, “Oh, well that was back then, these are different times." Are they? God, Himself, says that He’s not in time. He says that, to Him, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. So He sees the loyalty of the true disciples spoken of the Bible as if it were yesterday, and not thousands of years ago.
”Nevertheless, do not let this one fact escape you, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. [Ps. 90:4.]“ - 2 Peter 3:8 AMPC
Do we really believe that God could have changed His mind since yesterday?
”God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?“ - Numbers 23:19 NIV
Question of the day: Are you really lucky or are you actually on your way to hell and don’t even know it?