Luke 18: 28-30
Jesus just talked about the rich man not being willing to give up his possessions to follow Him.
Then Peter said, Look, we've left everything and followed You.
And He said to them, Truly I say to you, there is no man that has left house or parents or brothers and sisters or wife or children, for the Kingdom of God's sake,
who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come Life everlasting.
This is more on "hating" our loved ones and ourselves to follow Him. We must be willing to give up close proximity with our loved ones, and be willing to consider our own lives not as important as God's Plan for us and the whole Universe.
God is God, we are not. His great Plan of the Ages is unfolding before our eyes, and if we put our families or our possessions ahead of what God is calling us to do, then we are making them stumbling stones. We are refusing to follow His plans for us in our part to prepare for the coming of His Kingdom here on this Earth.
We don't necessarily have to give them up, but we are to have the attitude to consider what God is calling us to do to have greater value than holding on to what we have; and if we need to let go, then we will let go. God must hold first place in our lives.
My dream is to travel the World spreading the Seed of the Gospel. When I go off to do that, I will be leaving my family members here. With technology today, I may be able to maintain contact with them with the Internet, or Skype, but I won't be able to give them a hug or share a meal with them while I go to the uttermost corner of the World.
I don't know yet how all this will work out, or how I should expect God to give me "manifold more" houses or parents or siblings or children, what that would look like, when I work out my dream.
But my desire is to work where God is working, wherever that might be in the World, starting right here at home, and to use all that God has given me to promote His Kingdom, whether that be my physical ability to travel, my financial resources, my intelligence, my personality, the possessions I hold; whatever I have, however He would have me use it or give it up, that's what I want to do.
O my Father, thank You for sharing Yourself with me! Thank You for opening the curtain to let me peer in to see more of Your workings! The more I learn of You, the better I get to know You, Father, the more I love You, and want to serve You, and desire to do whatever would bring You glory!
You are the only One I need. You are the Source of everything I'll ever need or want. Only You can satisfy the desires You have placed in my heart. I agree with Solomon, that I was born naked, and when I leave this life, I will take nothing of this World with me (Ecclesiastes 5:15). So whatever You see fit to give me of this World, I will use to grow my wealth in Your Kingdom; that You would receive all the credit, all the fame, all the glory and honor.
And every knee will bow, every tongue will confess in every language, that Christ Jesus is Lord over all, to the glory of God the Father, forever and ever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
