by Jesse Hernandez | Jul 8, 2019 | Articles, Testimonies
My soul, wait in silence for God only. For my hope is from Him. Psalm 62:5 Several years ago, I came across a friend whom I had not seen in quite some time. We exchanged the typical greetings and quickly shared several pleasant comments with each other. Immediately following, he looked at me straight in the eye and raised a question that no one had ever asked me before. Ever. “How’s your soul?” he asked. What kind of a question is that? In addition, who asks that kind of a question? At first, I almost took offense. The audacity. I stared back for what felt like an eternity. I am usually pretty good at drawing from a deep well of witty comebacks for such moments. Usually, there is no shortage of clever responses and at times, they even sound genuine. This time, I was speechless. Stumped. Interestingly, his genuine stare begged a genuine response. He proceeded to wait patiently for me to answer the question. I could not even come up with a fabricated response. I remember taking a deep breath and proceeded to mumble a few incoherent words. It has been several years now since I had that memorable interaction and I have never forgotten the question or the stare for that matter. That particular question, however, has caused me to periodically slow down and think about my soul. It is so incredibly easy for me to stop and think about a million other things, but it is so hard to think about my soul. Why is that? The prophet Jeremiah says, “The heart is more deceitful than all...
by Jesse Hernandez | Jan 8, 2018 | Articles, Mentors Corner
The Cost of Comfort Whosoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:27 As a believer today I will never be able to grasp the horror and magnitude of these words from Jesus. Why? In this present day I will not be able to fully understand the images and reactions that a cross would evoke in the life of a disciple who was following Jesus when these words were uttered. In the previous verse (26), Jesus quickly obtained the attention of the crowd when He stated that whoever “does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life”, he could not be His disciple. It is my impression that Jesus pauses long enough to draw another breath before He lays out the second cost of being His disciple. The cross was an instrument of shame, torture, and unimaginable pain aimed at punishing the most vile of criminals of the day. It was also used by the Roman government to effectively stomp out any form of insurgence. The public display of the cross was so painful and horrific that it was quite effective in spreading the message to others that crime and rebellion would be dealt with very aggressively, painfully, and swiftly. This is the second time Luke records these words from Jesus, the first in Luke 9:23. No doubt He was very serious about conveying his criteria to those who wished to be His disciples. Jesus boldly stated his disciple was to forsake life as he knew it, which...
by Jesse Hernandez | Mar 21, 2016 | Articles, Question to Ponder
If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:26 Jesus set out to Jerusalem and the crowds were quite sure He was ready to deal with the religious leaders, as well as overthrow the Roman government. Any political consultant of the day would have predicted that Jesus had a very good chance of successfully meeting the interests of the people. The large crowds were following Him and, in all likelihood, they would continue to grow the closer He goes to the city. All of a sudden, Jesus turns around and clearly shares these striking words with those who were following Him. Do these words strike you as odd? Perhaps a little too bold, or even rude? Note with me that Jesus addresses the crowd knowing that many wanted to be His disciple. However, in an effort to articulate the costs associated with being a disciple Jesus sets the bar quite high by challenging the crowd to seriously reconsider the most meaningful relationships. He does not settle for simply asking them to temporarily rearrange their priorities, or be willing to make a small sacrifice if necessary. Jesus demands that those who wish to be His disciples are required to “hate” all of their relationships (father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters). The disciple of Christ must be wiling to part with both the comfort, an apparent value, and prominence gained via those relationships. In Matthew 10:37, Jesus said, “He who loves father or mother...
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