“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28“For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29“Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Luke 14:27-30 NASB
In Luke 14, Jesus is speaking to a large crowd of people following Him. Jesus begins to be blunt with them in regards to what it really looks like to follow Him and what it "costs". This section of scripture has become known as the "Cost of Discipleship." The point that Jesus is getting across to this crowd is that following Him will cost us something. It will cost us our families, friends, our status, and our reputation. This call to discipleship is a beginning call that must go out. It is a call that must not be hidden in our gospel presentations. It must be clearly stated the way that Jesus is stating it in Luke 14:25-35. But what's interesting to me when you look at being a disciple of Jesus, is that there isn't a cost in the long run. In the short-term it seems like a massive, surrendering, and risky call; which it is. But later on in Matthew 13:44 Jesus shows us what's really happening behind the scenes. “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. What Jesus is describing here is a glimpse of what takes place in the heart of a disciple of Christ at the moment they decide to follow Christ. They sell everything they have to buy a field with unmatched wealth hidden in it. They look at what they have, and who Christ is, and they place more value on Christ to where they would leave behind everything else. When we look at it this way we see that there really isn't a cost associated. They sold something of limited value to buy something of eternal value, namely the kingdom of heaven and Christ Himself. This is why it is vital that we present Christ properly in our gospel presentations. When we limit Jesus down to simply being a man, a prophet, or a "nice guy", that doesn't make Him worthy of our lives. If He is God who walked on the earth; the representation of the love of God that touched mankind; and all things that were created are by Him and for Him; that is Someone of immense value, power, glory, and dominion. He is worthy of it all. I was in a time of worship a few years ago and a song came on that marked me and became a theme of my life. The song is titled "I Will Waste My Life" by Misty Edwards. One of the lines in the song goes: For I am in love with You, And there is no cost. I am in love with You, And there is no loss. What Misty is describing in these lyrics is that when we truly love and find value in Christ, we don't view it as costing us or losing us anything. When we leave behind others or our possessions for the sake of Christ, there is no loss associated in comparison to what we gain. In the moment the call is costly, but the good news of the gospel is not the cost, but the Reward. Our reward is Christ Himself. (2) I Will Waste My Life (Behind the Song) - Misty Edwards - YouTube Questions to Consider: 1. How much value to you place on Christ in comparison to other things?
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