Heavy load coming through.

Proceed with caution.

Jesus didn’t mince words when He spoke about the cost of discipleship.

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. And anyone who does not carry his cross cannot be my disciple.”  – Luke 14:25-35

Jesus wasn’t encouraging family conflict, disobedience to parents, or neglecting family responsibilities. But He often gave commands in light of His listeners’ real motives. Love of family is one of God’s laws, but even this can become an excuse not to serve God or do His work. Jesus challenged the crowds to evaluate their enthusiasm for Him and encouraged the superficial either to go deeper or turn back.

In Luke 14:28-30, Jesus compares the factors that go into building a tower to the cost of discipleship.

If a builder doesn’t calculate the cost correctly, his building may be left half completed.

 Likewise, if we don’t count the cost of following Christ we may be tempted to turn back when trials and persecution come.

To take up our cross and follow Jesus means being willing to publicly identify with Him. Commitment may separate us from loved ones and friends because of conflicting values, goals, and purposes. As Christians, we will most likely experience opposition and face suffering–possibly even death–for Jesus’ sake.

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”  – Luke 9:24-25

Christ calls us to a higher mission than settling into the comforts of this life. Earthly status, riches, and comforts can not repay for loss of eternal life. Following Christ is hard work and costly now, but compared to eternity, our time here is like a blink of an eye. In the long run, following Christ is well worth any sacrifice. 

Related articles

• The Present and Future Disciple – Part 2 (stevesbiblemeditations.com)
• Discipleship Pondering (tbolto.wordpress.com)
• Convenience Store Christianity (Pt 2) (eddieknight.us)
• Reconciling the Costs of Discipleship (ltg4dailywalk.wordpress.com)
• How to Survive a Cultural Crisis: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/05/28/how-to-survive-a-cultural-crisis/?utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_content=buffer700c4
• Message #3: What Is The Cost of Discipleship? (Notes from the “Living The Invested Life Conference) (flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com)