Luke 14:25-33. When we count the cost, how could we ever follow Jesus? To follow him means to love him more than we love even our dearest family members. How can we live up to that kind of commitment? We can't. It's impossible for us. Give up on yourself. For when we have given up on ourselves, our hands are empty, ready to receive all that Jesus so freely and generously gives. Preached on September 8, 2013, for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, at St. John's Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS), Hancock, MN. Print copy available at: http://hancocklutheran.org/sermons/Give-Up-on-Yourself-Luke14_25-33.html