There is a cost to everything that we do. Every choice or decision we make is a choice to choose one thing over another. I choose to love pizza and Taco Bell too much and eat them too often. Because of this, I am not in as good of shape as I probably could be. That is a choice that I have made that has a cost to it. The cost of being in great shape but living without pizza is too great of a cost to me. I just love pizza too much.
In Matthew 10, we see Jesus lay out some guidelines for what it costs to follow him.
“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.â€
Everyone who wants to follow Jesus must confess him before others. It is easy to confess Jesus as Lord in secret or with other Believers—there is no opposition going against you. Jesus calls us to live a life where we must acknowledge him before others. Our faith is not something that is supposed to be kept hidden.
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
“‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’[a]
“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.â€
Jesus was very clear that he did not come to bring peace to the earth when he came. His kingdom is not an earthly one and he didn't come to rally an army against Israel's oppressors. Instead, Jesus says that he came with a different objective. Jesus ultimately came to save people from their sins through his sacrifice on the cross. If we look to follow Jesus, we must look to confess him in our lives all the time. We must love him above all things, even our family members. There are times when families or traditions can hold us back in our pursuit of Christ, but we cannot allow that. Jesus calls us to love him first and acknowledge him first above all.
“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.â€
Jesus calls for a radical following of him. We are called to take up our cross and follow him. If we are looking for a life of ease and no hardships, following Jesus is not it. Jesus then says that anyone who loses their life for my sake will find it. We will find true life in our pursuit of Jesus. We will find the gift of eternal life in Jesus alone—that far surpasses any cost or sacrifice we make in this life. The cost of losing our lives in order to find it in Christ is eternally worth it. We must all count the cost and realize it is worth it throughout any circumstance we must go through. The best part is that we know Jesus has gone through it all and we can relate and cling to him through any circumstance that may come our way.
In Matthew 10, we see Jesus lay out some guidelines for what it costs to follow him.
“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.â€
Everyone who wants to follow Jesus must confess him before others. It is easy to confess Jesus as Lord in secret or with other Believers—there is no opposition going against you. Jesus calls us to live a life where we must acknowledge him before others. Our faith is not something that is supposed to be kept hidden.
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
“‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’[a]
“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.â€
Jesus was very clear that he did not come to bring peace to the earth when he came. His kingdom is not an earthly one and he didn't come to rally an army against Israel's oppressors. Instead, Jesus says that he came with a different objective. Jesus ultimately came to save people from their sins through his sacrifice on the cross. If we look to follow Jesus, we must look to confess him in our lives all the time. We must love him above all things, even our family members. There are times when families or traditions can hold us back in our pursuit of Christ, but we cannot allow that. Jesus calls us to love him first and acknowledge him first above all.
“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.â€
Jesus calls for a radical following of him. We are called to take up our cross and follow him. If we are looking for a life of ease and no hardships, following Jesus is not it. Jesus then says that anyone who loses their life for my sake will find it. We will find true life in our pursuit of Jesus. We will find the gift of eternal life in Jesus alone—that far surpasses any cost or sacrifice we make in this life. The cost of losing our lives in order to find it in Christ is eternally worth it. We must all count the cost and realize it is worth it throughout any circumstance we must go through. The best part is that we know Jesus has gone through it all and we can relate and cling to him through any circumstance that may come our way.