The Cost to Follow
In Luke 9:23, Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” In order to follow Him, you must fulfill three prerequisites. First, you must count
the cost—“The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20) In the previous verse, “a scribe came up and said to him, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’” (v. 19) He was breaking with the other scribes, but had he counted the cost? Jesus Christ gave up the glory of heaven to come to earth to save mankind. The cost of following Him includes, among other things: inconvenience. Have you counted the cost to follow Jesus wherever He goes? Second, you must release the world—“Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” (v. 22) One of Jesus’ disciples was hanging close to home: “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” (v. 21) Jesus was taking the ministry on the road, so it was time to make a commitment and leave home with Him. You will never be ready; there’s always one more thing to do. Have you released the world to respond to the calling to follow Jesus? Third, you must trust the Lord—“Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” (v. 26) Jesus and the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee and “there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves.” (v. 24) The disciples freaked: “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” (v. 25) Jesus was right there and they were afraid they were going to drown. Some of them were fishermen, so that storm had to be pretty bad to cause them to freak out. Jesus was sleeping, perfectly at peace in the midst of danger. There was no safer place to be than in that storm with the Lord. If He leads you there, if He sends you there, wherever “there” is, is the most secure place on the planet earth. He controls it all. Have you put your trust in the Lord to accept His calling into ministry?
Sin cera, Erik
Erik O. Garthe is Associate Pastor at Canton Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland.