He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." -Matthew 10:37- These words are undoubtedly familiar to most of you. Christ speaks these words to His disciples after declaring that He brings a sword, not peace, and that families will be divided because of Him. As the child of a man who reared me in the church only to forsake it almost three years ago, these words have a special meaning to me. For those who share my situation, and even for those who do not, I want my words to serve as a reminder that devotion to God must come before everything--even our family. What Christ demands in Matthew 10:37 is full, absolute obedience to Him. He uses the illustration of a divided family to impart the importance of complete devotion; no pain exists comparable to watching a parent or child blindly stumble down the road to condemnation. It leads to a gamut of emotions: anger, bitterness, frustration, sadness, and even despair. If Christ would demand that one experience such pain, its cause must be incredibly important to Him. He declares repeatedly that no one can walk the fence: "he that is not with Me is against Me" (Matthew 12:30). If one's devotion to Christ is mediocre, it is absolutely worthless and has no merit in the eyes of God. Likewise, no one can serve both God and the world "for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other" (Luke 16:13). In God's eyes, part-time Christianity does not exist. In Joshua 24, the dying leader of Israel calls upon the people to make a choice: "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (verse 15). Every person must make that same decision. To follow Christ requires sacrifices many are unwilling to make. He knows that; in Luke 14:28-32, He tells the disciples to consider the cost of following Him before making the commitment. After all, "no man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). The disciple of Christ must always be willing to forsake all he has for Christ (Luke 14:33), he must be prepared for persecution (John 15:20), he must expect chastening from the Lord (Heb. 12:6), he must love God above all others (Matt. 22:37), and he must follow Christ's commandments (John 14:15). Never does Christ say that obedience will come easily. God does not give us a smooth road to travel, but a narrow one from which we can freely stray. If you choose to follow Christ, He expects nothing less than your best, and He wants it to be offered cheerfully. Any sacrifices made for the sake of Christ will receive a reward that will compensate you and more. He has promised that "every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life" (Matt. 19:29).