Most people are comfortable with a Jesus who says, “I forgive you.”
We’re comfortable with a Jesus who says, “Come to Me.”
We love the Jesus who heals, provides, comforts, and promises eternal life.
But are we just as comfortable with a Jesus who tells us no?
No, you cannot keep living that way.
No, you cannot hold on to that bitterness.
No, you cannot follow Me while refusing to surrender that part of your life.
Because if Jesus is truly Lord, He doesn’t simply get a voice in our lives.
He gets the final word.
When Jesus Disagrees With Us
It’s easy to follow Jesus when His will agrees with ours.
The real test comes when it doesn’t.
Jesus said:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
— John 14:15 (ESV)
Notice He didn’t say, “Keep the commandments you agree with.”
Following Jesus means there will inevitably be times when what I want conflicts with what He wants.
And in those moments, someone has to surrender.
If Jesus is Lord, it has to be me.
The Rich Young Ruler
We see this clearly when a rich young man approached Jesus asking what he needed to do to inherit eternal life.
Jesus eventually told him:
“You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor… and come, follow me.”
— Mark 10:21 (ESV)
Jesus put His finger directly on the thing this man wasn’t willing to surrender.
And what happened?
He walked away sorrowful.
Think about that.
He wanted eternal life.
He wanted Jesus.
But he also wanted something else that he wasn’t willing to give up.
And when Jesus told him no, he chose what he wanted over the One standing in front of him.
What Is Your “One Thing”?
That’s where this story becomes personal.
What happens when Jesus puts His finger on something in our lives?
Maybe it’s a relationship.
Maybe it’s bitterness we’ve refused to release.
Maybe it’s money.
Maybe it’s sexual sin.
Maybe it’s pride.
Maybe it’s something completely different.
It’s easy to say Jesus is Lord when He isn’t asking us to surrender anything.
But what happens when He says no?
Jesus said:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
— Matthew 16:24 (ESV)
Those words aren’t very complicated.
Following Jesus involves denying ourselves.
Who Really Has the Final Word?
Sometimes we approach Scripture looking for confirmation rather than correction.
We already know what we want to believe, so we search for someone who will tell us we’re right.
But following Jesus isn’t about changing His Word until it agrees with us.
It’s allowing His Word to change us.
So here’s a question worth considering:
Is there anything in your life that, if Jesus told you to surrender it today, you would tell Him no?
Because Jesus isn’t truly Lord of our lives if we only obey Him when we agree with Him.
If He is Lord, He doesn’t merely get our attention.
He doesn’t merely get our Sunday mornings.
He doesn’t merely get a vote.
He gets the final word.