The call of Christ is to joyfully die to ourselves, being willing to lay down our pursuits, our dreams, and our status for the sake of following him. Following Jesus carries a great cost, but when he calls we can be confident that we go in his care, his presence, and in his power. The question before us every day is this: “Is the person of Jesus and his mission valuable enough to you to forsake everything in pursuit of him?” The resolve that Paul displays in this text is a resolve that is built over time. Following Jesus is less about the decisions that we make in the moments of mountaintop passion than it is about the long, slow cultivation of obedience—hearing and responding—over the long haul.