Have you ever considered what costs are involved to be a disciple of Christ? Scripture gives us a glimpse into these costs when we read: “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.’” (Matthew 16:24-25)
According to Jesus, the price is indeed high, and will basically mean living a life of self-denial and bearing whatever cross the Lord places in your life. While self-denial and cross bearing may seem foolish to those who don’t know Christ, for the Christian, not only is it necessary to be a disciple of Christ, but I contend this lifestyle is the pathway to true joy, deep meaning, and amazing blessings, both now and in eternity. In fact, self-denial and bearing one’s cross for the sake of Christ, is the wisest and most rewarding decision a person can ever make.
Let’s look at the costs of following Christ first.
First, while we, before we come to Christ, usually are in the habit of putting ourselves first, as a Christian the order is reversed – Jesus first, others second, and ourselves third. Sacrifices need to be made in order to put Christ and others before us and sometimes the cost can be quite high. For example, if your boss asks you to lie, as a Christian, we must say no. And sadly, in some cases this may cost you your job! Or you may be in an unhappy marriage and yet we are told that marriage is a lifelong commitment and divorce is not an option. In both of these cases we need to be more concerned with doing God’s will than our desires or will.
Second, we may face being unpopular, slandered, and even ostracized and persecuted when we put Christ first, for we read: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. (Matthew 5:11) While there will be blessings to follow, and we will talk about them later, clearly it is implied that when we take a stand for Jesus, be sometimes prepared for negative things to come your way.
And third, cross bearing means that our human desires and feelings will often have to be put on the backburner as we strive to live the Christian life. For example, we are commanded to practice forgiveness even though we may not feel like it. Thankfully, forgiveness is an act of the will and as believers when we do forgive God will often change our feelings of hate into those of love – but this may take some time. Also God may place you in an environment where you may not want to be because He knows you may be the only light for the lost souls you are surrounded with. Again, your witness is more important than being in some positive circumstances.
Now, I would like to show you some of the amazing blessings that come with a lifestyle of self-denial and cross bearing for the sake of Christ.
First, the Christian walk can be a journey of constant joy regardless of the circumstances, for we read: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4) My friends, joy is not based on circumstances but on being obedient to the will of the Lord. And it is a spiritual law that when you obey God you will have joy! Another example of how joy can come even from persecution can be found in (Acts 5). Here we see that the apostles were flogged for preaching Jesus. And what was their response: “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.” (Acts 5:41)
Second, while cross bearing often implies that we will have to endure trials, pain, and suffering for the sake of Christ, the Christian walk is, in my opinion, the most wonderful lifestyle because it is so full of rich meaning. Living for Jesus guarantees us, great peace even through the trials of life, a sense of deep purpose because we are helping others and sharing the gospel, and most of all we are doing things to the glory of God – which is the ultimate purpose of life. I love what we read in (Romans 8:18): “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” And this is not just future glory but present glory too. For the closer we walk with Jesus the more we will manifest a glorious glow about us. And as we live for Jesus we will receive the approval of our heavenly Father – and that is the highest form of approval and meaning a person can ever experience!
And third, self-denial for the sake of Christ leads to a great reward in heaven. So are you willing to take up your cross and follow Christ. May the following Scriptures show you what awaits you in eternity, after we pass from this short lived human existence. I pray you will take the time to meditate on the following two portions of Scripture:
“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12).
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)