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The cost of being a disciple

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Grace is free, but it is not cheap.

It comes at an unimaginable price.

 

Those who take God at his Word believe that the gospel story is true:

God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives.

We are separated from God and cannot know his great love or experience his plan for us.

Jesus bridged the gap by paying the price for our sin. Nothing else can bridge the gap: not good works nor any amount of gift-giving, not knowledge nor vain philosophies.

We don’t get to enjoy any gift unless we accept it. Jesus explains that “accepting” him means denying oneself, carrying our cross daily, and following him and becoming his disciple; not following our plan for our life but his.

 

Salvation is a free gift from God. But following Jesus or being his disciple is more costly than saying a prayer; it requires focused action. In Luke 14, Jesus himself outlines some of the costs of being a disciple of Jesus:

1. Give up your place of honor

He says, “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited.” (V 8)

I knew one leader who introduced his employees in public as his colleagues, the people who worked with him, not for him. Raising others up is one way of giving up our place of honor. We didn’t choose or earn our place in being born in one of the wealthiest places on earth.  Perhaps giving up our place of honor has something to do with lifting up those around the world who face harder struggles just to live. Another way of giving up our place of honor is to stop presuming that we are right and others are wrong. What does it mean to you to give up your place of honor in order to follow Jesus?

 

2. Answer him when he calls you.

In the story he told about the great wedding banquet, Jesus said many were too busy to come when they were invited. Busyness is one of the enemy’s chief distractions. I’m almost a bit surprised that we don’t see tombstones engraved with, “Sure kept busy!” Perhaps it’s because we’re too embarrassed by our busyness to be honest about it. I read recently that the average user spends 17 minutes a day on Facebook.  I just wonder what is the average time spent in daily prayer. Jesus calls us to pray, to feed the hungry, to minister to the poor, to visit the sick (even if it makes us uncomfortable), and to tell others about his good news. What does it mean to you to answer his call on your life?

 

3. Count the costs

Jesus adds, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes even his own life – he cannot be my disciple. Anyone of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26,33) Of course, he’s not telling us to abandon the 5th commandment (honor your father and mother); he’s calling us to embrace the first (you shall have no other gods before me). Counting the costs means putting nothing before God, not family, not possessions, not your career, not the American dream, nor your health, or pursuit of happiness. Each of us finds that our walk with the Lord is not as deep a journey as it should be. What comes to your mind as you count the costs to following him more closely?

 

Today is the day to give up your place of honor. It’s the only day you have to answer his call on your life; there’s no promised tomorrow. And today is the day to count the costs of following Jesus fully. Perhaps it seems too hard, like giving up so much. In reality, I suspect it’s more like settling for far less than the blessings God intends for you… and me.

 

The cost of following Jesus

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What if I offered you something valuable – for free? You’d ask, “What’s the catch?” There’s usually some catch. It’s free if you buy something else. It’s free if you subscribe to a trial membership. It’s free if you just listen to a 45 minute presentation (that really lasts much longer). It seems like when something is free there’s always a catch.

 

So how do we respond when we’re told our eternal salvation is a free gift? In fact, you can’t buy it, trade for it, earn it or learn it. It’s a free gift from God for all who believe in His Son Jesus as the Lord and Savior of their life. Wait. Is that the catch? I mean, when I first came to realize in my mind and heart who Jesus really is, that didn’t seem like a catch. It was (and is) the real deal, like free food that tastes good and satisfies your hunger and a cool drink that quenches parched lips.

 

God’s gift of grace is free but it’s not cheap. Being a disciple of Jesus comes at a cost.

 

Jesus says “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.” (Matthew 10:37-38) Wait. Doesn’t Christianity value and honor families? Yes, of course. We love our kids and grandchildren. We’d do anything for them. I know you feel the same about your family. But if our parents, children, or grandchildren become more valuable to us than Jesus, He says we can’t follow Him. (The truth is we can’t love them best without Him!)

 

It doesn’t seem right or fair. When parents and grandparents devote their lives to teaching their children to love and honor God, they are in fact raising up the next generation church. It’s a hard teaching that about the roots of sin in idolatry. God says anything we put between us and him is an idol – even family. Is your family an idol? It may be if you find yourself saying, “I’d answer God’s call except for my kids.” A man said he would follow Jesus but first had to bury his father. Jesus recognized the man’s tendency to find excuses and wouldn’t have anything of it. Jesus loves children, and families. But He draws a line of distinction when it comes to loving and honoring God.

 

The gift is free but it really does come with a cost. Some think the cost is too great. Really it is too small. What is the cost to you? Do you really want to follow Jesus? Act as if Jesus meant what he said:

 

“Pick up your cross and follow me.”