By Pastor John Mateos Ong
Are you marked? Can you do everything God tells you to do? Many people have portrayed Christianity as very easy, going as far as saying that if you surrender your life to Jesus, you will be immune from all the problems in life. But in reality, that is not the case. No wonder we have weak Christians in church!
Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”” Rest in this verse talks about peace. It does not mean that you will not undergo hardships anymore. You will have rest in the Lord because He will always be by your side. The yoke He is talking about does not mean making things easy for you. It is religion and relationships.
Whoever wants to be His disciples:
Must deny themselves - putting God above your own desires, priorities
Take up their cross daily - the commitment you make yo the Lord is renewed everyday; it’s living a life of service and obedience
Follow me - means actively pursuing Jesus
All of these things are just bonuses. If these are gone, will you still follow?
The True Cost of Following Jesus
Luke 14:28-30 says, ““But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’” Many people follow Jesus without counting the cost. It sounded like a good deal in the beginning but when the hardships come, you are not prepared for it.
Luke 9:57-62 says, “As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.””
Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of God has nowhere to lay His head (V. 58)- Jesus is saying, if you want to be His follower, you have to be ready to work. Do you want to work for His kingdom? Jesus sacrificed His life. He did not die right away though. He was busy doing ministry for 3 years. When you say yes to Jesus, you also says yes to serving. Luke 10:2 says, “These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” There are still a lot of people that need to be harvested. Do your work.
Let the dead bury their own dead but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God (V.60) - Those spiritually dead worry about the dead. But those who are saved have a different perspective. Once you surrender, your priorities change. When you decide to follow Jesus, He has to become your first priority. All your excuses must go. Your number 1 responsibility becomes doing His work.
What should be your priorities?
To know Him - read His word
To be like Him - follow what He does
To build His kingdom - disciple others as well
No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God (V. 62) - Once you say yes to His kingdom, you must be dedicated and focused on the mission ahead. Stop looking at things that can distract us.
Matthew 10:37 says, ““If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.”
Matthew 7:13-14 says, ““You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
How many can say it is easy to become a Christian? The right way is narrow and difficult. If you find yourself doing nothing, maybe you entered the wrong gate. Many people do what is easy; not what is right. Following Jesus requires leaving your place of comfort and security. Do not be a Sunday Christian. The true cost of following Jesus entails work and sacrifice, a shift in priority and a lot of focus and dedication.
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