Worth the Cost – July 13, 2020

[Jesus said] “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”
Matthew 10:37-39

Worth the Cost

I just started seeing a new doctor. Before my first visit, she told me exactly what my appointment would cost. To be honest, the price was so high that I almost canceled. In the end, I decided to stick with the doctor because I was convinced that her expertise was worth it. As hard as it was to hear how much she would be charging, I still appreciated her honesty and transparency about the price.

Being a follower of Jesus also comes with a cost. In fact, Jesus tells us upfront that following him could cost us everything. He says that we might lose our money, good name, and even our family as we walk with Jesus. He tells us that we must learn to deny our own desires and follow him.

That’s not usually how the Christian message is presented. Too often, the blessings of the Christian faith are presented without explaining the difficulties. When this happens, people are being set up to abandon their faith at the first sign of suffering because of it.

So let me tell you, as a follower of Jesus you will most likely lose some things. Your family might reject you. They might believe Christianity is closed-minded and immoral. You might have more enemies than friends. And you might feel like an outsider in your own hometown.

But just like my visit to the doctor, following Jesus is worth the cost. Following Jesus means you wake every day to the blessings of God. It means that you can go to bed each night confident that you are a forgiven child of God through Jesus. It means that you can be sure that God will work out everything in your life for your eternal good.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, lead me to accept the cost of following you. Give me the strength to persevere during times of testing. Refresh me with your grace when I’m tempted to give up. Amen.