Salvation is free, but discipleship is costly. Have you ever stopped to think about that statement? It’s pretty sobering if you take a minute to ponder what it means. The gift of salvation is free but following Jesus will cost you everything.
Stay with me now. Before you click away because you think this blog is too harsh, give me a few minutes to reason this out with you. Deal?
The Bible says in John 3:16, “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted.”
Salvation means being acquitted of all the wrong we have done: How good is that? God freely gave His Son to pay the price for all our wrongdoing so that we can have a whole and lasting life. Great news, huh? That’s what we call salvation. And that is totally free, available to everyone and anyone, regardless of what we’ve done, where we’ve been, or where we come from.
Following Jesus will cost you everything: Devoting your life to believing in and following after Jesus is called discipleship. And that my friend, is costly. Why? Because following Jesus is counter-culture. He said in Matthew 10:39, “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” So what does that mean? Following Jesus is all about surrender. It’s all about giving up your right to be right, your right to be offended, your right to hold a grudge, and instead, give it all to Him so that you can find the best and most fulfilling way to live – His Way.
I know this is not the most popular truth to be sharing but it is truth nonetheless. I love what Jesus said in that verse and I have found it to be so true in my own life.
The more I have tried to control everything and live life my own way, the more miserable and empty I became. The more I surrendered my way for His way, the more whole and meaningful my life became.
So what about you? Have you accepted the free gift of salvation? Are you ready to pay the price of surrender to follow Jesus and do things His way?