You aren't the only one. Even some of those who watched Jesus perform amazing miracles just couldn't commit their life to him. They couldn't let go of their life in exchange for what God had for them.
Luke 9:61-62 gives us one of these stories "Still another said, 'I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.' Jesus replied, 'No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.'
Jesus wants a 100%, total commitment to him.
This past Sunday I gave our congregation five great reasons Jesus is worth our total commitment. It is my hope that these reasons will remove the excuses you may have used to resist God's call on your life.
- It is Rational
If Jesus created the world and knows the end from the beginning it makes sense to follow him. He knows more then we do and he does things well.
- It is Safe
If Jesus died for on a cross so that we could be rescued from damnation then he must have a good plan for us.
- It Reveals Triumph
If Jesus defeated Satan on the cross and overcame the curse of sin then the battle has already been won. As we follow Jesus we are walking out the work He already finished.
- It is Wholistic
If Jesus is the creator of all things then we will discover greater and greater unity and relatedness between the diverse pieces of our life. He puts the pieces together as a unified whole. (This is in contrast to the priorities of the world and their competing interests.)
- It is Glorious
If God sent his Son into the World with a plan that would ultimately bring him glory, our obedience to Jesus brings about a glorious end.
Now I understand that there are a whole lot of presuppositions in those statements. But if you have studied Luke up to chapter 9:56 you know that there is a basis for believing the premises that are stated above. You obviously have to be convinced on your own.
I think when these five things are considered it becomes clear that a person who doesn't follow Jesus could have the inverse of the five: irrationality, danger, risk of loss, fragmentation and dullness. (I didn't mean for that to sound insulting, but logically those are the inverse realities.)
Jim Elliot so famously said "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."
I pray that you would be convinced of God's reliability and that you would trust him with your life... everything that is going on... all your junk and the relationships and the brokenness. And that you would grab ahold of him wholeheartedly.