APPLYING JESUS' PARABLES TO MY PERSONAL JOURNEY
Jesus was known as the Master Teacher and He was a great story-teller. He used real life examples of what people experienced to teach and explain spiritual truths. There were several parables which Jesus taught. There are instances in the Bible where it is clearly stated that “he spake a parable” or “the parable is this”, etc. In other instances, metaphors or illustrations were used by Jesus. Regardless, there is a lot which we can learn from the parables and teachings of Jesus, which also helped in my personal faith journey.
Luke 14:28-33 was used by Jesus to illustrate a spiritual principle of the cost of discipleship. Before becoming a follower of Christ and even after one becomes a Christian, it is necessary to continue counting the cost. Luke 9:62 is indeed a hard truth. To put it bluntly, Jesus said that if anyone turns back to his old life and habits, he is not fit for the kingdom of God. Jesus also spoke hard truths in Luke 14:25-27 on the need to “love less” others in comparison to Him. There is a need to put Jesus first in our lives. This is a reminder that I must not allow worldly distractions to affect me such that I lose focus on the Lord’s work or spiritual matters. The lure of this world is great and temptations abound. Sometimes, close ones may be the ones who prevent us from doing what is right before God. For example, going for a family gathering when it’s supposed to be the time to worship God on the first day of the week may mean that family members are prioritised more than Christ.
In Luke 14:28-30, the man who started building the tower but only had resources to build the foundation was ridiculed. When I was a young Christian, I was not faithful. I remember being “mocked” for not “going to church” on Sundays when previously, I had insisted on going always. The king who wanted to go to war against a greater army had to consider his options, such as if an alternative approach like sending an emissary would help (Luke 14:31-32).
In following Christ, there is a need for self-sacrifice and to deny oneself daily (Luke 9:23). This is a constant reminder to myself in my Christian journey that I must put myself and my sins to death daily and to focus on Christ as the perfect example. He paid a great sacrifice for me to have hope of heaven and thus, there is a need for me to sacrifice my desires and wants to follow after Him. Paul said he crucified himself with Christ (Galatians 2:20), and we are able to see him live out his life as an apostle. Perseverance is also needed. Christ persevered through suffering, mockery and went to the cross in obedience to God. In my Christian journey, I too must persevere to the end.
It is necessary to teach others the cost of discipleship and to count the cost before their conversion. In addition, there must be constant reminders for those in the faith as well. Some have fallen away because they have not counted the cost. Jesus’s teachings are hard, but He obeyed God the Father till the end and so did Paul. Knowing that Jesus and Paul went through so much together with their obedience to God have been an encouragement to me to persevere in my faith.
