What does it really mean to love Jesus above everyone and everything else? In Luke 14:26, Jesus uses strong language to teach His followers that their devotion to Him must come before every other relationship, desire, and priority. He is not calling us to hate our families; He is calling us to love Him so completely that every other love is secondary. Following Jesus means denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and choosing Him above our own desires.

It is possible to call ourselves devoted followers of Christ while allowing other loves to slowly take His place. Family, friendships, careers, comfort, success, and even self-love can compete for the affection that belongs first to Jesus. When our love for Christ is our highest priority, however, every other relationship can be put in its proper place. Loving Jesus more changes the way we love our spouses, children, friends, neighbors, and even ourselves. His invitation is not simply to believe in Him, but to follow Him with wholehearted devotion.

Highlights
What Jesus meant when He said His followers must “hate” their families in Luke 14:26
Why loving Jesus first does not mean neglecting or hating the people we love
What it means to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ
How other relationships, desires, and priorities can quietly compete with our love for Jesus
Why our passion and obedience to Christ can sometimes grow weaker over time
How putting Jesus first helps us establish healthier priorities in every other relationship
Encouragement to return to our “first love” and pursue Jesus with wholehearted devotion

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Full Transcript Below:

Loving Jesus More 

By Cindi McMenamin

Bible Reading:
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.” - Luke 14:26

Have you ever stumbled over these words? Why would Jesus seem not to want any followers by telling others they have to hate their own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even their own life in order to be a devoted follower of His?

Certainly, Jesus wasn’t telling us to hate others. In fact, He told a teacher of the Law that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, and strength. And the second greatest was to love our neighbor as much as we already love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39). 

No, Jesus wasn’t telling us to hate others or neglect them in any way, especially those in our own households. He was telling us that our love and dedication to Him must be so strong that it’s as if we hate any other family member in comparison. He was giving us a very tall order for what it means to follow Him. He was letting us know what putting Him first really looked like. 

Jesus also told His disciples in Matthew 16:24-25: “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.”

Again, was Jesus trying to make it so difficult that no one could follow Him? To the contrary, I believe He was looking for those who would love Him with the kind of dedication and sacrifice that He was soon to display in going to the cross for us. He didn’t want fair-weathered believers. He wanted loyal followers who would be willing to give Him their all. 

In light of this passage, I had to ask myself a few hard questions recently. Am I loving Jesus more than anyone or anything? Could I be following Him more closely than I am?  Am I loving Him as much today as I did the day we met?

I first decided to follow Jesus as a very young child. I barely remember the actual day. But I remember recommitting my life to Him many times throughout my growing-up years.

Now that I'm in my sixth decade of life, I have long called myself a follower of Jesus. I have spent nearly a half-century instructing others on how to follow Him. But how closely am I following?  

I must admit there are days my passion for Him wanes. My obedience to Him seems not as important as the day before. My heart follows harder after other loves. And I am convicted all over again by those words of Jesus to His disciples.

Intersecting Faith & Life

Other loves can so quickly steal our hearts away. And sometimes our greatest love is for ourselves. The world constantly teaches through social media reels, television shows, movies, and ads to love yourself. But Jesus said, “deny yourself” and take up your cross (associate with His death), and follow Him, not the desires of your own hearts. The more I love myself, not Him, the easier it is for my “First Love”—which should be Jesus—to become my fourth, fifth, or sixth love… or worse yet, somewhere further down the list.

I never want Jesus to say to me what He said to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:4-5: “But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first…” 

When I wholeheartedly love the One who made me, gave His life for me, and rose again to redeem me and make me more like Himself, I can put myself on the shelf and Jesus on the throne, and not worry about my self-esteem. I can focus on esteeming Him. And when I love Him more than any other, my priorities will be rightly ordered when it comes to being a good spouse, parent, sibling, friend, and neighbor. 

Lord Jesus, help me to love You more than I do, and to follow more closely after You. On good days and bad. When I'm motivated and when I'm not. In busy times and lean times. May You be first and foremost in my heart. 

Further Study:
Matthew 22:37-38  

For daily encouragement to love Jesus more, see Cindi’s book: The New Loneliness Devotional: 50 Days to a Closer Connection with God. 

What does it really mean to love Jesus above everyone and everything else? In Luke 14:26, Jesus uses strong language to teach His followers that their devotion to Him must come before every other relationship, desire, and priority. He is not calling us to hate our families; He is calling us to love Him so completely that every other love is secondary. Following Jesus means denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and choosing Him above our own desires.
It is possible to call ourselves devoted followers of Christ while allowing other loves to slowly take His place. Family, friendships, careers, comfort, success, and even self-love can compete for the affection that belongs first to Jesus. When our love for Christ is our highest priority, however, every other relationship can be put in its proper place. Loving Jesus more changes the way we love our spouses, children, friends, neighbors, and even ourselves. His invitation is not simply to believe in Him, but to follow Him with wholehearted devotion.
Highlights
<ul data-spread="false">
<li>What Jesus meant when He said His followers must &ldquo;hate&rdquo; their families in Luke 14:26</li>
<li>Why loving Jesus first does not mean neglecting or hating the people we love</li>
<li>What it means to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ</li>
<li>How other relationships, desires, and priorities can quietly compete with our love for Jesus</li>
<li>Why our passion and obedience to Christ can sometimes grow weaker over time</li>
<li>How putting Jesus first helps us establish healthier priorities in every other relationship</li>
<li>Encouragement to return to our &ldquo;first love&rdquo; and pursue Jesus with wholehearted devotion</li>
</ul>
Want more encouragement throughout your week? Subscribe to <a href="https://newsletters.lifeaudio.com/thegoodword">The Good Word,</a> LifeAudio&rsquo;s free weekly newsletter.
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<a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/subscribe/?utm_source=subscribe_page&amp;utm_medium=YDBV&amp;utm_campaign=YDBV_PLUS">Sign Up Today!</a>
<hr>
Full Transcript Below:
Loving Jesus More&nbsp;
By Cindi McMenamin
Bible Reading: &ldquo;If anyone comes to me and does not&nbsp;hate&nbsp;his own&nbsp;father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters&mdash;yes, and even his own life&mdash;he cannot be my disciple.&rdquo; - Luke 14:26
Have you ever stumbled over these words? Why would Jesus seem not to want any followers by telling others they have to hate their own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even their own life in order to be a devoted follower of His?
Certainly, Jesus wasn&rsquo;t telling us to hate others. In fact, He told a teacher of the Law that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, and strength. And the second greatest was to love our neighbor as much as we already love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39).&nbsp;
No, Jesus wasn&rsquo;t telling us to hate others or neglect them in any way, especially those in our own households. He was telling us that our love and dedication to Him must be so strong that it&rsquo;s as if we hate any other family member in comparison. He was giving us a very tall order for what it means to follow Him. He was letting us know what putting Him first really looked like.&nbsp;
Jesus also told His disciples in Matthew 16:24-25: &ldquo;If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.&rdquo;
Again, was Jesus trying to make it so difficult that no one could follow Him? To the contrary, I believe He was looking for those who would love Him with the kind of dedication and sacrifice that He was soon to display in going to the cross for us. He didn&rsquo;t want fair-weathered believers. He wanted loyal followers who would be willing to give Him their all.&nbsp;
In light of this passage, I had to ask myself a few hard questions recently. Am I loving Jesus more than anyone or anything? Could I be following Him more closely than I am? &nbsp;Am I loving Him as much today as I did the day we met?
I first decided to follow Jesus as a very young child. I barely remember the actual day. But I remember recommitting my life to Him many times throughout my growing-up years.
Now that I'm in my sixth decade of life, I have long called myself a follower of Jesus. I have spent nearly a half-century instructing others on how to follow Him. But how closely am I following?&nbsp;&nbsp;
I must admit there are days my passion for Him wanes. My obedience to Him seems not as important as the day before. My heart follows harder after other loves. And I am convicted all over again by those words of Jesus to His disciples.
Intersecting Faith &amp; Life
Other loves can so quickly steal our hearts away. And sometimes our greatest love is for ourselves. The world constantly teaches through social media reels, television shows, movies, and ads to love yourself. But Jesus said, &ldquo;deny yourself&rdquo; and take up your cross (associate with His death), and follow Him, not the desires of your own hearts. The more I love myself, not Him, the easier it is for my &ldquo;First Love&rdquo;&mdash;which should be Jesus&mdash;to become my fourth, fifth, or sixth love&hellip; or worse yet, somewhere further down the list.
I never want Jesus to say to me what He said to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:4-5: &ldquo;But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first&hellip;&rdquo;&nbsp;
When I wholeheartedly love the One who made me, gave His life for me, and rose again to redeem me and make me more like Himself, I can put myself on the shelf and Jesus on the throne, and not worry about my self-esteem. I can focus on esteeming Him. And when I love Him more than any other, my priorities will be rightly ordered when it comes to being a good spouse, parent, sibling, friend, and neighbor.&nbsp;
Lord Jesus, help me to love You more than I do, and to follow more closely after You. On good days and bad. When I'm motivated and when I'm not. In busy times and lean times. May You be first and foremost in my heart.&nbsp;
Further Study: Matthew 22:37-38&nbsp;&nbsp;
For daily encouragement to love Jesus more, see Cindi&rsquo;s book: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Loneliness-Devotional-Closer-Connection/dp/0736989250/ref=sr_1_1?crid=253CW2XC1ZA55&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.F5CD6f5Ta9i68D7fYb4Nu4oeLp2udrR1fhCi9Z9SgBlTn82X25nnqNmmkLsgWzLsw3OG2u39PUt5JCHtzxHkybioMHrAv4cT1bzi4955_puWMY6jkT9MpJ1">The New Loneliness Devotional: 50 Days to a Closer Connection with God</a>.&nbsp;

Are you a Christian looking for a daily devotional podcast to encourage, inspire, and convict you in your walk with Christ? 7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Daily Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life. Let's study the Bible together and through the experiences of other believers, learn how to apply the Word of God to our lives.

Here’s just some of what we cover in The Crosswalk Daily Devotional Podcast:

☕️ Why the Tongue Can't Be Tamed (And What to Do about It)
☕️ The Quickest Way to an Attitude Adjustment
☕️ Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life
☕️ Noticing God's Blessings in the Hardest Moments of Life
☕️ One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan Is Telling the Church
☕️ How to Push Through the Weariness of Prayer
☕️ 3 Steps to Take When Facing Temptation
☕️ What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year

If you love what you're listening to on the podcast, be sure to check out our companion devotional at https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/.

Are you a Christian looking for a daily devotional podcast to encourage, inspire, and convict you in your walk with Christ? 7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Daily Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life. Let's study the Bible together and through the experiences of other believers, learn how to apply the Word of God to our lives.
Here’s just some of what we cover in The Crosswalk Daily Devotional Podcast:
☕️ Why the Tongue Can't Be Tamed (And What to Do about It) ☕️ The Quickest Way to an Attitude Adjustment ☕️ Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life ☕️ Noticing God's Blessings in the Hardest Moments of Life ☕️ One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan Is Telling the Church ☕️ How to Push Through the Weariness of Prayer ☕️ 3 Steps to Take When Facing Temptation ☕️ What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year
If you love what you're listening to on the podcast, be sure to check out our companion devotional at <a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/">https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/.</a>

7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life.

The Crosswalk Devotional: A Daily Devotional Christian Podcast

The Crosswalk Devotional

Loving Jesus More

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/5a3b85ec-520b-402f-a736-b4d30129bf2a/transcript