The Cost of being a Disciple

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew16: 24-26)

As I read the word of our our Lord , I have to ask myself," What exactly has it cost me to follow Jesus?" Has being a Christian cost me anything? Often do we think in terms of what Christ has done for us. We think of what it cost God to send His only begotten Son . Jesus paid the price for our redemption with His precious blood. It cost God everything in order to reconcile sinful man with his Creator. It cost God His Son that we might have forgiveness. Again I come back to the question, what has it cost me to follow Him? Jesus is clear throughout the Gospel accounts that discipleship is costly. 

What exactly does that mean? It certainly does not mean we must "pay" to get into the Kingdom. We can never pay off God with money, nor good deeds. We can never become martyrs as a means to earn righteous standing with God. And while salvation is a free gift we must not overlook the words of our Lord that tell us that a true follower is one who is willing to deny himself, take up his cross and follow Jesus.

Deny, die and follow. That is what a disciple must be prepared and willing to do. Deny his flesh. Deny having his own way. Deny the right to self. This denial is a dying to the flesh. To pick up one's cross speaks of a crucifixion. A cross in Jesus day was  an instrument of death, not a pretty gold emblem on a chain worn as jewelry! Its not a burden to bear. Picking up ones cross mean carry the very tool of execution! The one who follows after Jesus must deny his right to self and crucify the flesh in order that the Holy Spirit may instead lead! Then after the denying and the dying to self, a man or woman can follow Jesus.  It would be impossible to follow the flesh and Jesus at the same time!

So while some Christians around the globe literally will give up their physical lives to follow Christ, all must be willing to give up the right to self . It means learning to pray that my will should line up with His will. It means willingness to suffer for righteousness sake. The desire for an intimate close walk means more than people pleasing and going with the crowd. This may mean going against the grain with family and those who are close to us.

Christianity is not a choice one picks from the box of world religions. After the "choice" then one goes about life as if nothings really changed. Maybe where a Sunday morning is spent changes. Perhaps even a little devotional here and there. Such "religiosity" is nothing more than loving ones life, sin and all, while tacking on  Jesus  like a lucky rabbit foot! 

The Lord Jesus Christ is not a little statue I carry around to add to my life as I ask Him to bless my sinful mess. No, following Jesus means acknowledging the great cost God paid that I might be set free from the bondage of sin. Jesus tells us to consider the cost of following Him before we make some false commitment. 

It surely must sadden our Lord's heart when professing Christians are content to celebrate their sinful past as if it were an award. When the mindset is "how much can I still do and get away with it " it is evident that such a person is not following Jesus. They are following self. The price of following Christ is losing our self . 

As Jesus said, nothing is worth it if it means losing our soul.

What has it cost you to follow Him?