The Cost of Discipleship

At our church, we have a 2-story house on the corner of our property that was donated to the church so the church could have the lot space and expand our campus. The house is over 100 years old and is in great structural shape, but needs some TLC on the cosmetic end. So, in an effort to get the house taken off the property and to prevent demolition of the structure, our trustees put a sign in the yard "Free House to be Moved." Needless to say, we've had many inquiries and people come by to look at the house. But here is the reason the house is still here. The house is taller than most power lines and would probably have to be partially dismantled, then reassembled at it's permanent home. The cost of moving the house, we've heard from interested parties, is somewhere between $55,000 to $85,000.

Well, today, I was thinking about a comment I heard this past weekend at a 6th Grade Retreat at Lakeview Conference Center. Our speaker told us that some people will tell you that making Jesus your Lord and accepting His forgiveness is the easiest decision you'll ever make--a no-brainer, if you will. But he riminded us that choosing to follow Christ is really one of the hardest decisions we'll ever make because it involves a life-long commitment to loving God and other people, even when it's not easy.

I think a lot of believers encounter God and get caught up in the "free house" mentality, and then realize what the cost of that free house is and their excitement dwindles. Jesus talked about this in the Parable of the Sower (The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.). So, was choosing to follow Christ, the hardest decision you've ever made? The easiest? Somewhere in the middle?

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." --Matthew 16:24