Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
In this context, Jesus is talking about the high cost of following Him. In fact, He said that those who follow Him must love Him more than their own family or they can’t be His students.
Sounds harsh, doesn’t it? Yet, Jesus knows some who follow Him will be forced to choose between their relationships with their own family and their newfound allegiance to Him.
This isn’t harsh, it’s reality. That’s why the Teacher advises everyone to count the cost before they make the decision to become His student. It won’t do any good to start a relationship with Jesus if we aren’t committed in advance to pay any price to maintain it to the end.
Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
Well Teacher, how far must we be willing to go to maintain our allegiance?
In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
So how much is a relationship with Jesus worth? How much is heaven worth?
For those who consider themselves serious students - what has this cost?
ReplyDeleteMaybe this was just for those in Jesus' day...
Maybe not. Sometimes it seems easier than others, but often when I find myself not having to sacrifice something - not having to give up something - even if it's a relationship with friends or family - then I realize I'm not following Him as I should.
What has your walk with jesus cost you lately?