The Cost of Following: Self or Christ?Sample

Renouncing Everything: Part Two

So often we think giving everything to the Lord means moving to a foreign country, wearing sandals, eating bugs, and wearing a burlap sack. And the Lord does call some people into situations like these. But the high price of discipleship doesn’t have to do with where we live in the world, what food we eat, or what clothes we wear or don’t wear. True discipleship can be consistent with many locations, diets, and modes of dress.

True discipleship is less about the externals and more about the internal. In fact, we can even excel at the outward actions and still not understand true discipleship because true discipleship–discipleship everywhere it is truly found–has to do with the heart.

It is really quite amazing how many things we can give up, how many religious activities we can engage in, how many hours we can volunteer, days we can fast, dollars we can give, times we can evangelize, and mission trips we can go on and not ever really begin to be a disciple of Jesus. It is so much easier and less costly to do any or all of the above than to do what Jesus calls us to do which is to truly and deeply love Him more than anything and everything else.

Have you thought about the cost of following Jesus? Have you counted it all up and laid it all down at His feet? Maybe you have tried. Maybe you have spent the time to think it through, but when it came time to make a final decision you put it aside for another day. Why? Are you too busy? Are you afraid to really let go and surrender everything to the Lord because of the unknown? Fearful of what He might require of you?

PRAYER

Lord, I entrust my heart, my life, my future, my plans, my things, my very self to you. I place it all into your hands. I am yours. Help me be fully yours.

In Jesus' name, I pray,

Amen