Cost of following God

Lately God has been blowing my mind with what He has been speaking to me about. For about a week straight everything that I read dealt with the cost of following God. (This is hard to hear but it needs to be said and God has been opening my eyes to this concept and what this truly means as well as answering prayers in regard to this topic.) 

Luke 14:25-35 is one of the first passages that God spoke to me from when it comes to the cost of following Him and commitment. 

       Luke 14:26-27 “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison- your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters- yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.”

Wow, this is shocking that God would tell us to HATE everyone including ourselves and that if we do not do this then we can NOT be his disciple. (I don’t know about you, but that scares me.) But, what does He mean by hate? (does this truly mean to HATE ourselves and everyone?) No, what He is meaning is that He comes first in everything. We can’t get caught up in doing things for ourselves and for others (even though we are to help others) but God should be the focus. We should give everything over to God and do as He tells us to do even if that does mean breaking a few rules now and then. 

Carry your cross... this is a concept that I have heard many times and dang is it hard to follow with.

       Jesus’ audience was well aware of what it meant to carry one’s own cross. When Romans led a criminal to his execution site, he was forced to carry the cross on which he would die. This showed his submission to Rome and warned observers that they had better submit, too. Jesus made this statement to get the crowds to think through their enthusiasm for Him. He encouraged those who were superficial either to go deeper or to turn back. Following Christ means total submission to him- perhaps even to the point of death.

FOLLOWING CHRIST MEANS TOTAL SUBMISSION TO HIM- PERHAPS EVEN TO THE POINT OF DEATH. (This is scary that God may call us to do something that may cost us our lives but look back into history. Many people risked their lives and were killed for trying to make copies of the Bible and get it to others so they may know Jesus. People were thrown into jail for trying to spread the Gospel. Many of the people in the Bible were put to death in horrible ways because of following God.) We are called to do the same thing. People back in history had it worse off and for the most part if we try to spread the Gospel then we may be made fun of and people may disown us but we don’t have it as bad as others have had it. Yes, there are places that may still put you to death if you speak about God and the Gospel but if you trust God then this should not worry you. It does cost to follow God and when you are born again into His family then that is a cost that you are saying that you are ready to make and carry your cross DAILY.

When a builder doesn’t count the cost or estimates it inaccurately, the building may be left uncompleted. Will you abandon the Christian life after a little while because you did not count the cost of commitment to Jesus? What are those costs? Christians may face loss of social status or wealth. They may have to give up control of their money, their time, or their career. They may be hated, separated from their family, and even put to death. Following Christ does not mean a trouble-free life. We must carefully count the cost of becoming Christ’s disciples so that we will firmly hold to our faith and won’t be tempted later to turn back.

We need to know what we are getting into before we make the commitment to follow Christ. It is costly to follow Him. It may cost us financially, emotionally, physically. It may cost us friendships, school, our careers, family, etc. It could in the end cost us anything but God has our best in mind and will provide us with what it is that we need. 

       Salt can lose its flavor. When it gets wet and then dries, nothing is left but a tasteless residue. Many Christians blend into the world and avoid the cost of standing up for Christ. But Jesus says if Christians lose their distinctive saltiness, they become worthless. Just as salt flavors and preserves food, we are to preserve the good in the world and bring new flavor to life. This requires careful planning, willing sacrifice, and unswerving commitment to Christ’s Kingdom. But if a Christian fails to be “salty,” he or she fails to represent Christ in the world. 

We need to be willing to go out and do anything to spread the Gospel and follow Jesus till the end. We need to remain salty for Christ. 

What is God calling you to give up for Him? What is standing in your way of carrying your cross and being His disciple?