As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Luke 9:57-58

There is not a single struggle that I could ever go through that Jesus doesn’t understand. But there are many struggles that He endured that I could never understand—struggles, not because He had to, but because He loved me. He is God, and He gave up the comforts of Heaven to be born in a stable, live a meager existence, sometimes sleeping on the hard ground with a rock for a pillow, and die a painful, cruel death for me. What do I know about struggles?

Truly following such an awesome and loving Christ is not for wimps. If I am going to follow Him, I have to acknowledge that He is God and I am not. Sometimes it takes beating the “old” man down daily to make this happen. It’s simple in theory but harder to do. I can’t follow Christ if I put myself ahead of Him. I can only follow Him if He is first in my life. As Tim Conway puts it, if following Christ has never cost you anything, then you’re not following Christ.

Salvation is free but true discipleship costs us everything. Our possessions. Our selfish desires. Popularity. Our relationships. Our lives. We are bought with an enormous price. He died for us, and the least we can do is live for Him.

C.S. Lewis said, “If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I don’t recommend Christianity.” Christ expects the best from His followers. In Luke 9, Jesus tells a follower not to bury his dead father first, and another, not to tell his family goodbye first. In Luke 14:27, Jesus says “And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

Let’s face it. If we want to be like Jesus, it’s important for us to remember that He suffered. If we want to follow Jesus, well, He went to Calvary to shed His blood in a torturous, abusive death.

Why? Love, that’s why. Jesus was a man on a mission. He was the ultimate world changer. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) Jesus’ mission was clear, to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins and to get the Word out as effectively as possible in His 3-year ministry. Part of that plan is for us to continue to get that message out today.

Has Jesus changed your world? If not, He can do that for you starting today. Just accept Him as your personal Savior. Believe that He is the Son of God. Turn from your sin and commit to live for Him. If you are saved already, is there something standing in Your way from being a world changer for Christ?

Thank you for reading and sharing my post. Please comment by replying below or write me privately. I would love to hear from you.

Dear Lord:   Help us to remember that no price that we pay in your service could ever be as great as the price Your Son Jesus paid for us to save us from our sins. You never said true discipleship would be easy, but You promised in Your Word that it would be worth it. Please give us the strength and the courage to take up our cross daily and follow hard after Jesus. Like David, help me to never be willing to offer You any sacrifice that costs me nothing. Amen