How many times have you read that to follow Jesus, you must pick up your cross daily (Luke 9:23)? How many times have I written those words? Every Christian acknowledges their faith requires them to pick up that cross, but have you ever taken the time to understand the full ramifications of that commitment? We say we’ll follow Jesus whatever the cost, but did you ever stop to calculate that cost?
If you’re like me, you often think of Christians who face persecution for their faith. We swear we will never deny our Lord, no matter how much pressure or abuse we must suffer. That’s an important place to come to in your growth as a Christian, but how about when the cost is not so high or obvious? Will you still follow Him no matter what (Matthew 10:38-39)?
Many of us fortify our minds to deal with worst-case scenarios but often neglect the less life-threatening decisions we make every day. Living for Jesus, whatever the cost, means giving up habits and lifestyle that have perhaps unwittingly become an idol in our lives. It’s not the big choices that trip us up. We see those coming a mile away and have plenty of time to prepare and react. It’s the quiet little choices we fail to notice that Satan uses to keep us from surrendering our heart to Christ. As long as the Devil has a toehold in your heart, you can’t claim Jesus as Lord because we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). To love the world is to express hatred toward God (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17).
Every movie or television show we watch, every song we listen to, book we read, or website we visit present us with a choice to indulge our flesh or surrender our desires to Jesus. We say we’ll choose Christ whatever the cost, but what about when that cost is our entertainment choices or what we do to relax and unwind? Are you willing to surrender every hour of every day to the glory of God? Am I?
Our life will change in radical ways when we come to the place where we are willing to surrender everything to Christ (Romans 12:1-2). Life will not and cannot ever be the same. As a very young man, the great preacher Jonathan Edwards resolved to “never to do anything which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.” Can we say the same? One of these days, each one of us will come to the last moment of our lives. For those of us who believe in Christ and profess Him as Lord, one moment we will be doing whatever we choose to do, and the next we will be face to face with Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:10). Will we be proud or ashamed of what was happening the moment before (1 John 2:28; Luke 12:2-3)?
Every choice we make throughout our day proves if we are following Jesus whatever the cost, or if we are only playing at this faith thing. Every choice matters because every choice will bring glory or shame to the name of Christ. If we can’t stand for Jesus at the expense of our entertainment choices, what makes us think we will hold fast when it will cost us our lives?
If you want to stand firm no matter the trial, it begins with surrendering all the little pieces of your life today. A half-hearted commitment isn’t fooling anyone, least of all God (Revelation 3:15-16). Your next choice on how to spend your time is only a few seconds away. How will you choose to spend it? That choice will tell you everything you need to know about your commitment. Are you willing to follow Jesus whatever the cost?