The cost to follow Jesus is high!
It will cost all our love. Jesus said the great and first commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind (Mt. 22:37-38). The second, like it, “love your neighbor as yourself (Mt. 22:39). If we want to learn from Jesus, we must learn to love like Jesus loved!
It will cost all our life. “Whoever does not bear his own cross an come after me cannot be my disciple” (Lk. 14:27). The purpose of a cross was not merely a burden to bear, nor a struggle to be endured. The cross was meant for one purpose – painful, public death. We are to die to ourselves (notice how we bear our own crosses, not others). It is to be something that is visible to others that we have died to self (cf. Jn. 15:8). It is painful because we are sacrificing OUR wants and OUR wills.
It will cost all our days. Sacrificing our wants and our wills is not a once a year, once a month, once a week sacrifice. Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk. 9:23). When He preaches the sermon on the mount, Jesus encourages his followers to not worry about tomorrow, but trust in God today. Every day we make a willing commitment to seek the reign of God in our lives, trusting that He will take care of us and give us what we truly need (Mt. 6:25-34).
The cost to follow Jesus is high, but the value is priceless. As we draw near to the Lord, we are transformed into His image and truly reflect His glory in our lives (2 Cor. 3:16-18). As we crucify the flesh, the produce of our lives becomes a product of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-24). As we wait, we trust that God will deliver us, even fromdeath (1 Cor. 15:50-58).
– LS
0 Comments