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Discussion Forum : Devotional Thoughts : We must either leap over them, or tread upon them! -watson

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 We must either leap over them, or tread upon them! -watson


[b]We must either leap over them, or tread upon them![/b]

(Thomas Watson, "The Christian Soldier" 1669)

"A man's enemies will be the members of his own household.
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not
worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more
than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who does not take
his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me." Matt. 10:36-38

Take heed of the snare in your family! It is one of the
Devil's great subtleties--to hinder us from piety by our
nearest relations--and to shoot us with our own rib!

He tempted Adam by his wife. Who would have suspected
the Devil there? He tempted Job by his wife, "Are you still
holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" Job 2:9
Thus would the Devil have cooled Job's love for God; but
the shield of his faith quenched this fiery dart!

Take heed of such tempters! It is better to go to Heaven
with their hatred--than to Hell with their love! If our
dearest friends and family lie in our way to Heaven--we
must either leap over them, or tread upon them!


_________________
SI Moderator - Greg Gordon

 2007/6/30 2:43Profile









 Re: We must either leap over them, or tread upon them! -watson

Oh my, this is a hard saying, who can bare it ... yet it's true.

Luk 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate {#3404} not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.


This is a timely word for many of us. Thank you.

 2007/6/30 2:53









 Re: Quality of Time

The brother mentioned "piety" but I'm thinking the amount of time away from the LORD's presence and how, sometimes, when the Lord wants to grow us up the most ... that's when one could be distracted by someone or someone's problems in the family.
I've seen this a lot with husbands getting bogged down with things and the things of the world because their wives don't want to go with God as seriously as the husband does.
Or vice versa.
Or family disputes in some extended families and so on.

To LOVE our spouses & family, we can't love them any better by making them first. Only by making HIM first, time wise and every way, will we be able to love them IN Christ, with a sane proportion of attention, time and bringing them closer to Christ ... our main objective for 'anyone'.

I believe, in essence, family first, but it has to be in light of the Scriptures posted here.

Always feel the need for clarification on Luke 14:26, less someone misinterpret it.

Luk 14:26 - "hate" - #3404 - by extension to love less. Matthew, Mat_10:37, expresses the true meaning of this word, when he says, "He who loveth his father and mother More than me."

Luk 14:26 - If any man come to me,.... Not in a corporeal, but in a spiritual way; nor barely to hear him preach; but so come, as that he believes in him, applies to him for grace, pardon, righteousness, life, and salvation; professes to be his, submits to his ordinances, and desires to be a disciple of his;

"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": not that proper hatred of any, or all of these, is enjoined by Christ; for this would be contrary to the laws of God, to the first principles of nature, to all humanity, to the light of nature, to reason and divine revelation: but that these are not to be preferred to Christ, or loved more than he, as it is explained in Mat_10:37 yea, these are to be neglected and forsaken, and turned from with indignation and resentment, when they stand in the way of the honour and interest of Christ, and dissuade from his service: such who would be accounted the disciples of Christ, should be ready to part with their dearest relations and friends, with the greatest enjoyment of life, and with life itself, when Christ calls for it; or otherwise they are not worthy to be called his disciples. The Ethiopic version inserts, "his house", into the account.
[John Gill's Exposition]

Luk 14:26 -
Hateth not (ou misei). An old and very strong verb miseo¯, to hate, detest. The orientals use strong language where cooler spirits would speak of preference or indifference. But even so Jesus does not here mean that one must hate his father or mother of necessity or as such, for Mat_15:4 proves the opposite. It is only where the element of choice comes in (cf. Mat_6:24) as it sometimes does, when father or mother opposes Christ. Then one must not hesitate. The language here is more sharply put than in Mat_10:37. The ou here coalesces with the verb misei in this conditional clause of the first class determined as fulfilled. It is the language of exaggerated contrast, it is true, but it must not be watered down till the point is gone. In mentioning “and wife” Jesus has really made a comment on the excuse given in Luk_14:20 (I married a wife and so I am not able to come).
And his own life also (eti te kai te¯n psuche¯n heautou). Note te kai, both - and. “The te (B L) binds all the particulars into one bundle of renuncianda” (Bruce). Note this same triple group of conjunctions (eti te kai) in Act_21:28, “And moreover also,” “even going as far as his own life.” Martyrdom should be an ever-present possibility to the Christian, not to be courted, but not to be shunned. Love for Christ takes precedence “over even the elemental instinct of self-preservation” (Ragg). [A.T. Robertson's]

Mat 10:37 -
He that loveth father or mother ... - The meaning of this is clear. Christ must be loved supremely, or he is not loved at all. If we are not willing to give up all earthly possessions, and forsake all earthly friends, and if we do not obey him rather than all others, we have no true attachment to him.
Is not worthy of me - Is not appropriate to be regarded as a follower of me, or is not a Christian. [Barnes Notes]

 2007/6/30 14:20





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