We live in a day, especially in the western world, where we believe that the Christian life should be one of ease, comfort and material and physical blessing. One of the symptoms of this is the reaction of Christians when they suffer from a severe illness or face some significant personal suffering. Often the question they ask is “Why did God do this to me?” As if God were responsible for the situations we face in life and should not allow us to be inconvenienced or suffer in some way.

There are amazing promises of God to His people, too many to enumerate. Just read the first two chapters of Ephesians or the first chapter of Colossians. There is no more fulfilling life than that of a sold out follower of Jesus Christ. Nothing compares to the life He has to offer. In John 10:10 Jesus said, “I have come to bring you life and life abundant,” and He does. 

But consider the life of Jesus. It was not a life of ease and comfort. He was constantly harassed by the Pharisees, had most of his followers abandon Him along the way, endured a great deal of sorrow and ultimately went to the cross. He was frequently tired, was betrayed by one of His own, was a threat to the powers that be, both Roman and the religious establishment, was maligned, threatened, and even betrayed by His own disciples. 

Jesus understood the cost of followership. He said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” - Luke 9:23-26

Following Jesus requires us to be willing to take up our cross daily. To obey Him when it is inconvenient, to put up with those who think our followership is foolish, to take stands for justice and fairness when it is unpopular, to speak up when unrighteousness needs to be confronted, and to be willing to be unpopular with those who don’t care about those things God cares about. 

Jesus said, “whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” That is the equation. Jim Elliott gave his life to bring the Gospel to the untouched tribes in South America. After he died, these words were found in his journal: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” He understood God’s equation. “Jesus said, What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self.” 

The Christian life is not a life of ease. It is to follow Jesus and following Him will mean that we face some of the same things He did. But we follow willingly knowing that it is a life of eternal blessing and that we are not fools to give up what we cannot keep to gain what we cannot lose. 

Father. I pray that you would help me take up my cross daily and truly live for you in all situations, regardless of the cost. I am willing to give up that which I cannot keep to gain what I cannot lose. Find me faithful and give me strength to walk the road you walked. Amen.