SCRIPTURE:
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.
Luke 9:23-24
OBSERVATION:
Salvation is free. As Paul writes in Romans 10:9 NIV, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” All one needs to do to be saved is simply declare and believe that Jesus is Lord. To the believer, there are no strings attached. No high cost. Just believe.
There is an extremely low bar to salvation because our God is a gracious God who desires for His children to come to Him and a patient God who is willing to walk with us, no matter how long it takes for us to change. He says, “come as you are.” You don’t need to be perfect to be saved; you simply must believe.
Although salvation is free, there is a high cost to discipleship. “Being His disciple” is the act of following Jesus and becoming more like Him. While anyone can be saved, only those that choose to pay this cost can be His disciple.
What is the cost of discipleship? As Jesus shares with us in Luke 9:23, to be His disciple, you must deny yourself, pick up your cross daily, and follow Him. You must deny yourself––leave your desires, your wants, your will, and your plans behind. You must pick up your cross daily––choose to bear the burden and sacrifice to complete God’s call on your life every morning you wake up. And you must follow Jesus––do life with Him and let Him lead your life.
APPLICATION:
Salvation is free, but there is a high cost to discipleship. Today, God calls you to an unshakable life––a life of discipleship. Yes, you can choose to simply be saved and still go to heaven. But what about the space in between?
While there is a high cost to discipleship, there is also a great reward. In becoming a disciple, you get to become more like Jesus. You begin to see the world through His eyes. You begin to love people as He loved. And you begin to experience heaven here on Earth as you do life intimately with the Savior Himself.
Choose to be His disciple. Yes, sacrifice is required, but the reward is so much greater than the cost. What are you waiting for? Today, pick up your cross, and follow Him.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus,
Thank You for picking up Your cross so we could follow You, and do life with You––not just later in Heaven, but even now, here on Earth. Today, I choose to pick up my cross, deny myself, and follow You. I know there is a cost, but to me, it’s completely worth it. I choose to be your disciple. Change me, mold me, and use me for Your glory. I will follow You alone.
In Your name I pray,
Amen
