Are You Willing to Pay the Price?

 

By: Sarah Geringer

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

Luke 9:23 NIV

Are you willing to pay the price for a deeper relationship with God?

The truth is, our Christian faith will most certainly cost us something.

It may cost you time, convenience, relationships, or more.

My faith has cost me all of these things. But every single price I had to pay has been worth it for the depth of relationship I gained with God.

When I look back on whether I was willing to pay the price for my faith, I can see reasons why the high price was worth it.

Here are some examples from my own life:

- I lost my full-ride scholarship to a secular university when I transferred to a private Christian school. However, this choice gave me a bedrock of faith and solid teaching which I draw upon daily today in my work as a Christian author and speaker.

- I lost primary relationships due to toxic behavior and narcissism. However, I've found comfort, healing, and reconnection in the body of Christ, the church.

- My marriage ended because I stood up to abuse and addiction based on God's guidance and truth. However, I am now free from the shackles that bound me for over two decades and I am embracing the new possibilities.

These were all ways I had to deny my own wants and desires to take up a cross daily, but also to follow God more closely.

Like my pastor recently said, the only thing you use a cross for is death. So if we are going to follow Jesus closely, we will need to die to self daily, and that's a high price to pay.

Jesus never sugarcoats the costs of following him:

• "Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Matt. 10:38 NIV
• “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matt. 7:13-14 NIV
• "And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:27 NIV
• "In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." Luke 14:33 NIV
• "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows." John 16:33b NLT

But Jesus makes this wonderful promise to those of us who are willing to pay the price:

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.

Mark 10:29-30 NIV

Of course, we also enjoy the joys of his abiding presence as we walk more closely with him, and we bear the fruits of the Spirit when we follow God more closely. There are blessings both now and later for those of us who are willing to pay the price.

Are you willing to pay the price for deeper faith?

CLICK TO TWEET

Today I ask you...what price is God asking you to pay to go deeper with him?

Is he asking you to deny yourself in something like...

• eating
• watching certain shows
• isolating yourself
• forgiveness
• financial sacrifice
• or anything else?

I pray that you will count the costs of following God's will in the matter, as well as count the costs of not following him. Then I pray you will make the choice to honor God more than following your own will in the matter. 

May Jesus help you see the joy and peace of denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following him more closely. May you take the long view and see that the price you pay now will reap huge dividends in your faith later.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings and God's peace to you,

Sarah Geringer
Finding Peace in God's Word

Photo from Canva.com

Reflection questions:

1. When have you resisted paying the price for following God? What did that cost you?

2. In what area is Jesus nudging you to deny yourself today? What rewards might you experience for obeying him?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below.