Good ol’ Oswald condensed in one sentence the essence of abandoning all to follow Christ.
"Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him.”
There can be no room in the Christian vocabulary for “I will… as long as….”
For example:“I will love my wife as long as she is lovely.”
What God does with our obedience is His business.
Either way, He is owed our obedience.
Not less because we may not get what we want, but more because we desire only to do what He wants.
My wife may resist my love. Should I then stop loving?Not less because we may not get what we want, but more because we desire only to do what He wants.
Your husband may resist your respect. Should you then stop respecting?
Your children may resist your discipline. Should you then stop disciplining?
Consequences and calling the shots cannot be a prerequisite of commitment to Christ particularly if one is seeking to specifically avoid the very results Jesus promised.
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