Emotional Breakdown and Counting the Cost

Had an emotional breakdown ytdy. Ok. It was probably due to stress and due to just my sadness over being incompetence to organise TG ultimate. Ok maybe i was abit put off by my leaders words, but oh well. Learned to pick up and be fine and to meet my student and go for ACJC trng. Yes i did go AC in the end and i realised there is still so much use to learn from it, and i really did and do enjoy it. And my student appeared! Praise the Lord!!! Praying for his salvation!!! :)

Again, i must admit i'm distracted today. Hmmn. The question for myself is what is the cost for me to follow Jesus fully? I think Ultimate is the 1st thing that comes to mind. And so the conclusion/result? I need to spend more time thinking abt that.

I can't stand reading a text and not understanding what it means. So i spent a whole hour expounding on the text, and i ended just reading a learning from the commentary, which is quite an eye opener, and gave me lots of insight and understanding of the text. The Commentator is David Guzik. 

the word disciple simply means "learner." A disciple is someone who is a student, a learner of Jesus.

So, what does it take to become a learner of Jesus? Jesus has just shown us that coming to God is like accepting an invitation (Luke 14:16-24); is that all there is to it?

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple

First, Jesus boldly says that nothing can come between you and God. Even good things such as family and the instinct of self-preservation cannot become idols to the true disciple.

Think of how audacious Jesus is! He asks for this kind of ultimate commitment, and we give it to Him - why? Because of love. When we know the love of Jesus; when we are in a love-relationship with Him, only then can we be committed to Him with this great devotion.

 Hate is a strong word, but that is exactly how it can seem compared to the love of family members and friends when we put Jesus before them.

Disciples must count themselves as dead; they must go all the way.

"And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."

The one carrying a cross essentially walked down death row to their place of execution. They knew there was no turning back, and it was a total, complete commitment, with your life was completely yielded. You knew your life didn’t belong to you any more.

This is total commitment; Jesus gave Himself for us totally, and expects us to give ourselves to Him totally.

We can understate the demands of Jesus when we preach the gospel to others. We can give them the impression that coming to Jesus is only believing some facts instead of yielding a life.


"The general idea that these words of Jesus about bearing the cross refer to passive submission to all kinds of afflictions, like disappointments, pain, sickness and grief that come upon man in life, is totally wrong . . . only a person who for the sake of His service surrenders all self-seeking and abandons all striving after his own interests can be His disciple." (Geldenhuys)

When the ancient Greek phrase forsake all that he has was applied to people meant, "to say goodbye to." Jesus tells us to "say goodbye" to everything we have, entrusting it to Jesus.

(34-35) Don’t be a lukewarm follower of Jesus!

 "Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

Salt is only useful when it has the nature of salt. A Christian is only useful when he has the nature of Christ.


(15:1) How do people react to the radical demands of the gospel? These sinners respond, they do not reject. 

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 

This stern gospel was not inconsistent with Jesus’ love; it was the result of His love. Sinners and outcasts saw the love prompting the bold call to discipleship, and they responded.


People respond to a challenging gospel, if the truth is spoken in love. We do a great disservice when we "soften" the demands of the gospel, either for others or for ourselves.