A lesson that I am learning right now regarding the cost of discipleship has been very fun to think about and learn. When you grow up in a Christian home and you tally up how many sermons you have heard, how many bible studies you have attended, conferences, camps and workshops you have enjoyed it can be a bit staggering. If I only take one sermon per Sunday over 43 years that alone adds up to just over 2400 sermons. That is a ton of biblical information running around inside my heart, mind and soul! Then something happens; an awaking comes and a fresh word is spoken to our hearts and we are like a kid in a candy shop with it.
I have heard countless sermons on counting the cost of following Jesus. I have basically always assumed that meant the cost to me personally or what I would have to give up in order to gain eternal life with Jesus. While that may be true, part of counting the cost is also counting what you gain through what you are giving up. There is a story of man who found gold in a field, lots of gold, more gold than he could ever have imagined. As it turned out he is the only one who knew the gold was there so he goes off and sells everything he owns(negative cost)and then takes the money and purchases the field with great joy (positive cost). Was it a burden to the man to sell everything to buy the field that was rich beyond his wildest dreams? Yes, but in light of what he gained the cost was almost insignificant!
Then I started to see another cost that needs to be factored in when it comes to counting the cost of following Jesus. That would be the cost of non-discipleship. What if I choose not to be an apprentice then what? It didn't take long for me to see that what I would loose far outweighed what I would gain by not entering into the apprenticeship program of Jesus. If I knew the gold was there but decided not to sell everything to purchase the property then I am the biggest looser for it. For me it should be a "no-brainier"!
I think it is healthy to think of life from this perspective; to ask yourself if you can really afford not to take on the life of an apprentice of Jesus. The way of the sinner is hard but then so is the way of the Christian who is unwilling to count the cost in both directions. If I am right about this then the cost of non-discipleship may even be harder!
Information, audio sermon files, short writings about faith and life and how these two intersect, photos, and more.
2 comments:
I think it needs to be factored into the over all cost of following him. If I choose non-discipleship then I effectively choose a life that is immature, ineffective and unproductive. (2 Peter 1)The cost of this choice is astounding. Shallow, heartless, bored, unable to develope healthy, deep and meaningful relationships, spiteful, revengful, unforgiving, enraged lives are just a few of the negative costs of not following Jesus though we may have our sin removed and find some solace in our heavenward journey.
positive cost - positive gain
negative cost - negative gain
Post a Comment