Imagine

going to a financial planner who tells you that if you want to save

for retirement, you have to spend all your money. Or imagine talking

to a dietician who says that if you want to lose weight, you need to

eat as many cheeseburgers as you can. It just doesn’t make sense.

But Jesus’ teaching here can sound almost like that: To find life,

you have to give up your life for him.

Being

a disciple of Jesus is often about not doing what the world says we

should do. We live in a culture of hyper-individualism and

self-interest. “Do what is good for yourself first,” the world

says. “Look out for number one.” But following Jesus means doing

what he asks and not always what I want. It means relying on his

strength and power, not my own. It means putting his mission and

purpose above my own ambitions and goals. It means humbling myself

and following Jesus, wherever he leads.

Discipleship

is hard work. Even his disciples, who heard these teachings directly

from Jesus, didn’t get it right all the time.

Discipleship

requires that we listen closely for God to guide us. It means that we

get to know his Word and what it means for our lives. It means that

we seek the counsel of believers around us and discern his calling in

our lives together. It also means that we stop putting ourselves

first and instead love God with everything we have.