Christ Church Jerusalem

The essence of discipleship is attachment, and discipleship to Jesus involves transferring our primary loyalty from family, ethnic group or nation to Jesus Himself. Such changes can be difficult and costly as we see clearly in the life of Abraham. He was called to surrender his past and was prepared to give up his future (sacrifice of Isaac) and struggled in the present while waiting for God to fulfill his promises. Tempted by his fears, Abraham took short cuts that had long-lasting repercussions. Despite his many difficulties Abraham matured and his story should encourage us to address our own fears and lack of faith that hinders our allegiance to Jesus. Readings: Genesis 21:8-21; Romans 6:1b-11; Matthew 10:24-39.