To be a disciple is to give everything for the sake of Christ. As we prepared to walk into the Holy Spirit, we were reminded of the cost. It seems a great amount to give up everything: our stuff, our hearts, our expectations, our rights, etc . . . But when looking at the reward of our obedience and the wholeness of living simply for Christ, the sacrifices can hardly be called such. I challenge you to read this list of costs and ask yourselves if you would be willing to pay the price to follow in the ways of our Savior.
–We must love Jesus more than anyone and anything, even ourselves. (Luke 14:25-27)
2) –We must love the other members of the Body of Christ and place others ahead of ourselves. (John 13:34-35)
3) –We must abide in His word and obey His commands. (John 8:31-32)
4) –We cannot be ashamed of Jesus or of the Gospel we profess. (Luke 9:26)
5) –We must abide in Christ (the vine) and remain in Him so that we might bear fruit as a witness to our discipleship. (John 15:5-8)
6) –We must be willing to renounce and give up all we have and do so if He asks us to do so- especially if those things might become idols in our lives. (Luke 14:33; Mark 10:17-22)
7) –We must deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily and follow Jesus by completely surrendering our will to His. (Luke 9:23-25; Matt 16:24-25)
The reward comes from Mark 10:29-31. Our loss is ourselves but our gain is the Kingdom of God.
