The Cost
When we commit our lives to Jesus we are committing ourselves to a new life that leaves the old ways behind. We are to learn His teachings, then act upon what we have learned. This will cost us some of our worldly ambitions, the ways we acted in the past, and maybe some of our old friends who may not agree with the Gospel teachings. But we will have so much more.
Philippians 2:6-10 tells us that Christ gave up much for us. He gave up his position and place in heaven, became a human to be born, live, and die as a human being. He did this to save us.
So Jesus invites everyone to follow Him—to take up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:36). So what does that really mean?
When we take up our cross, we find direction and purpose in life. We are now to become like God and Christ. Paul says that we are to “imitate” God (Eph. 5:1). Christ came to be our example, to show us what it means to live a lifestyle that imitates God. So the life that Jesus lived was following God’s Word, but also, since “God is love,” Jesus lived a life of compassion and love. Therefore, we must treat others with this same compassion. This is sometime hard for us to do as Jesus even said that we were to pray for our enemies! Bless those who curse you and do good things for those who may not do good to you! (Matt. 5:43-47).
Now he says that when we do that we will be children of God (Matt. 5:45). We will be imitating our Heavenly Father. Yet, more than this, when we follow the example of Christ, we will weep with those who cry and we can rejoice with those who are happy.
When we take up our cross we will have a Savior who can understand our struggles. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus faced all the same struggles and temptations we face and He did it without sin.
Ultimately, following Jesus provides the best possible life we can have. Jesus promised rest, the weariness and burdens of life distract us from our decision to follow Him (Matt. 11:28-30). When we follow Christ, we connect our whole life with God’s life.
When we follow Christ we have the privilege of talking directly with God. We don’t need any other mediator, as ...
