Counting the Cost

Today as I was reading in Matthew I was reminded of what we have been called to as disciples in Christ Jesus. So often in our modern minds I think even we as Christians forget the high price yet the great reward that comes with following the King of the Universe. Here in Matthew we read the following:

Matthew 16:24-28 "24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life[h] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 28I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

There are countless churches preaching a Gospel of comfort and wealth and countless Christians who think that their prosperity or blessings are a result of a life lacking sin. Many believe that in their own strength they have come to where they stand today and pride is rampant. Look at verse 24, Christ plainly states that if you want to follow Him...be His disciple, you must "DENY YOURSELF". I looked up the word deny and found this definition "to restrain from gratification or desires". Do we do that as believers? Are we more concerned about pleasing the Lord than gratifying our flesh? This is an active decision that we have to make on a daily basis. In our own strength it is impossible, our fleshly desires so often win. Yes we will have blessings from the Lord in this life and we must give Him the glory for those, but we must remember that the Christian life is not a life of worldly gain but of self denial.

Jesus goes on in verses 25-26 to remind us that although this life denying our flesh may be a difficult one as we go against the grain it will be one of eternal blessings. Those living in the world live to gain as much as they can now because this is the closest to heaven so to speak they will ever get. For the Christian this is the closest to hell we will ever get. Praise God for that! We must lose our lives in a figurative sense, lose our fleshly old selves in order that we might be new creations in Christ, renewed by eternal hope.

Jesus ends this passage with a great promise for the disciple. He reminds us of the fact that He will return soon and will reward us for the good works that He planned for us to do that we accomplished through His strength. We will one day get to stand before the King of the universe and may we hear well done good and faithful servant.

There is a cost in following Christ...we will have to give things up that we "want", we will have to go against the grain of society and culture, we will have to deny ourselves on a daily basis, we may be persecuted emotionally and or physically, we will go through trials and tribulations but it is nothing in comparison to what we have gained in Christ! Think of the eternal glory that awaits! What an amazing gift we have been given, something we do not deserve at all but that Christ has graciously provided a way for us to gain. May we live lives that count the cost and think oh how it is well-worth it and then move forward in bringing Him glory day by day.