Reflect today on what is the greatest obstacle to your relationship with God

"If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26

No, this is not a mistake. Jesus really said it. It's a strong statement and the word "hate" in this sentence is quite definitive. So what does it actually mean?

Like everything that Jesus said, it must be read in the context of the whole Gospel. Remember, Jesus said that the greatest and first commandment was to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart ...". He also said: "Love your neighbor as yourself." This certainly includes the family. However, in the passage above, we hear Jesus telling us that if something hinders our love for God, we must eliminate it from our life. We have to "hate him".

Hate, in this context, is not the sin of hate. It is not an anger that gushes within us that causes us to lose control and say bad things. Rather, hatred in this context means that we must be ready and willing to distance ourselves from what hinders our relationship with God. If it is money, prestige, power, meat, alcohol, etc., then we must eliminate it from our life. . Surprisingly, some will even find that they have to distance themselves from their family to keep their relationship with God alive. But even then, we are still loving our family. Love just takes different forms at times.

The family was designed to be a place of peace, harmony and love. But the sad reality that many have experienced in life is that sometimes our family relationships directly interfere with our love for God and for others. And if this is the case in our lives, we need to hear Jesus telling us to approach those relationships in a different way for the love of God.

Perhaps at times this Scripture could be misunderstood and misused. It is not an excuse to treat family members, or anyone else, with spite, harshness, malice or the like. This is no excuse to let the passion of anger gush within us. But it is a call from God to act with justice and truth and to refuse to allow anything to separate us from God's love.

Reflect today on what is the greatest obstacle to your relationship with God. Who or what takes you away from loving God with all your heart. We hope that there is nothing or no one who falls into this category. But if there is, listen to Jesus' words today that encourage you to be strong and call you to put him first in life.

Lord, help me constantly see those things in my life that keep me from loving you. As I recognize what discourages me in faith, give me the courage to choose You above all. Give me the wisdom to know how to choose You above all things. Jesus I believe in you.