February 7th, 2023
Have you ever taken time to consider the cost of following Jesus? According to Him, it’s something we should all do before we decide to be His disciple. Luke 14:26-28; 33 says,
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?... So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
Those are strong words and I think if we’re honest, they probably make us all a little uncomfortable. Renounce everything for the sake of the gospel? The strength of this call is echoed throughout the gospels, however. He told one rich young ruler to sell everything he had and come after him (Luke 18:18-25). Everyone that followed Jesus paid a price. Luke 9:57-62 says,
“As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But a for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
When Jesus called James and John, “they left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:11). Again, when He called Levi, “[he left] everything, rose, and followed him” (Luke 5:28)
We could always come up with a reason to delay answering the call of God, but Jesus made it clear that it would cost us everything. He called people in many different ways, but always revealed something about that person’s heart—about where their trust had been placed. Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” A few verses later, Matthew 6:24 says,
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
That word for money could also be translated possessions. We may not feel like we’re serving possessions, but if our focus is on our own provision, instead of the kingdom of God, then we’ve forgotten who we’re serving. God’s kingdom is upside down and God always takes care of those who belong to Him! Jesus said in Matthew 6:31-33,
“Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
God has always been a provider, but there has always been a cost—not because God wants to take from us, but because He wants us to see where our hearts are.
The cost of following God is not something that can be taken lightly in the Scripture, but you cannot talk about it without talking about the reward. So many people read Bible verses like the ones above and shrink back in fear at the thought of selling all their possessions or leaving what they’ve always known to follow His call. However, Jesus talked about the reward for obedience significantly more than the cost. See, the cost of following God feels meager when you know His love. It’s easy to let go of what you’ve held on to when you understand His goodness. It’s not a struggle to follow Him when you experience His reward. When God called Abram, the father of the faith, He said, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” (Genesis 15:1).
A few years later, God would ask Abraham to give Him his only son— a picture of the sacrifice He Himself would make thousands of years later. That son was a living miracle, representing everything Abraham had been promised. When Abraham was willing to be obedient, the Father said,
“Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:16-18).
God didn’t want human sacrifice; He wanted Abraham’s heart, and out of his willingness to give Isaac, his only son, he received sons more numerous than the sand on the seashore.
Anything God asks of us will both reveal our hearts and demonstrate His goodness. No one in the Bible ever gave to God and received nothing back. It’s a principle of His Word that stands true today! Those that serve Him will always find, “He rewards those who diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Luke 18:29 says,
“Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Now, God loves covenant and families, so He’s not saying to abandon your family. It’s always about our hearts. If we care even about our loved ones more than His kingdom, we are out of alignment. The Bible says to “love Him with all our hearts.” There is a cost to following Him, however, if ever our focus is on that cost, we’ve either misplaced our trust or misunderstood His goodness. Abraham didn’t hesitate to give Isaac, trusting God so much that He reasoned God would raise Him from the dead (Hebrews 11:19). Following God will cost us everything, but my goodness, His reward is infinitely more. If it were only heaven, it would be enough, but He pours out His goodness even now, giving us life, freedom, and hope. The Gospel isn’t just the promise of heaven when we die; it’s the promise of heaven right now.
“The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.” (Matthew 10:7-8)
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?... So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
Those are strong words and I think if we’re honest, they probably make us all a little uncomfortable. Renounce everything for the sake of the gospel? The strength of this call is echoed throughout the gospels, however. He told one rich young ruler to sell everything he had and come after him (Luke 18:18-25). Everyone that followed Jesus paid a price. Luke 9:57-62 says,
“As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But a for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
When Jesus called James and John, “they left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:11). Again, when He called Levi, “[he left] everything, rose, and followed him” (Luke 5:28)
We could always come up with a reason to delay answering the call of God, but Jesus made it clear that it would cost us everything. He called people in many different ways, but always revealed something about that person’s heart—about where their trust had been placed. Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” A few verses later, Matthew 6:24 says,
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
That word for money could also be translated possessions. We may not feel like we’re serving possessions, but if our focus is on our own provision, instead of the kingdom of God, then we’ve forgotten who we’re serving. God’s kingdom is upside down and God always takes care of those who belong to Him! Jesus said in Matthew 6:31-33,
“Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
God has always been a provider, but there has always been a cost—not because God wants to take from us, but because He wants us to see where our hearts are.
The cost of following God is not something that can be taken lightly in the Scripture, but you cannot talk about it without talking about the reward. So many people read Bible verses like the ones above and shrink back in fear at the thought of selling all their possessions or leaving what they’ve always known to follow His call. However, Jesus talked about the reward for obedience significantly more than the cost. See, the cost of following God feels meager when you know His love. It’s easy to let go of what you’ve held on to when you understand His goodness. It’s not a struggle to follow Him when you experience His reward. When God called Abram, the father of the faith, He said, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” (Genesis 15:1).
A few years later, God would ask Abraham to give Him his only son— a picture of the sacrifice He Himself would make thousands of years later. That son was a living miracle, representing everything Abraham had been promised. When Abraham was willing to be obedient, the Father said,
“Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:16-18).
God didn’t want human sacrifice; He wanted Abraham’s heart, and out of his willingness to give Isaac, his only son, he received sons more numerous than the sand on the seashore.
Anything God asks of us will both reveal our hearts and demonstrate His goodness. No one in the Bible ever gave to God and received nothing back. It’s a principle of His Word that stands true today! Those that serve Him will always find, “He rewards those who diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Luke 18:29 says,
“Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Now, God loves covenant and families, so He’s not saying to abandon your family. It’s always about our hearts. If we care even about our loved ones more than His kingdom, we are out of alignment. The Bible says to “love Him with all our hearts.” There is a cost to following Him, however, if ever our focus is on that cost, we’ve either misplaced our trust or misunderstood His goodness. Abraham didn’t hesitate to give Isaac, trusting God so much that He reasoned God would raise Him from the dead (Hebrews 11:19). Following God will cost us everything, but my goodness, His reward is infinitely more. If it were only heaven, it would be enough, but He pours out His goodness even now, giving us life, freedom, and hope. The Gospel isn’t just the promise of heaven when we die; it’s the promise of heaven right now.
“The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.” (Matthew 10:7-8)
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