One of the privileges of preparing sermons each week is all the little snacks I glean from material that never makes it into a sermon or lesson. I’ll probably mention this again on Sunday but in case I don’t, here is a great line from scholar Ed Glasscock, “This saying is either that of the Messiah or of a maniac.” He is commenting on Matthew 10:35-37 where Jesus warns His disciples that following Him may cause division among families. Any time someone makes a statement requiring absolute loyalty we may be inclined to ask, “Who do you think you are?” It’s a good question to ask, especially if someone is asking us to disregard the teachings of Jesus! I often told our sons, “A choice to do one thing is a choice to not do something else.” A corollary to that would be, “A choice to listen to one person’s advice is a choice to disregard someone else’s advice.” There are many people, organizations and causes calling for our loyalty and we simply cannot be loyal to them all. Complicating matters even further is the desires and ideas we have about life and how to live. There can be so many voices that it becomes nearly impossible to hear the Voice of Truth. Because Jesus wants us to have abundant life He offers a simple way to cut through all the noise. Listen to Him. Simple. When there are competing voices seeking our attention and loyalty, dispense with the debate and choose the teaching of Jesus. He is God. He is smart. He knows life. The loudest (and often most dangerous) voice we hear is our own. Jesus said that if we choose to live based on our own desires in opposition to His we will waste/lose our lives. He will not force us to His ways but He is delighted to help us walk in them if we choose to do so. Cooperation with Him is the path to the abundant life. So, the next time you catch yourself being tempted to choose your own way over His way, go look in the mirror and say, “Who do you think you are?”