City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh.

The Word

²⁵ Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. ²⁸ For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? ²⁹ Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ ³¹ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³² And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. ³³ So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. 

–Luke 14:25-33 ESV

The end of a matter is better than its beginning; Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit (pride). 

–Ecclesiastes 7:8 AMP

Aisha’s Analysis

In today’s verses Jesus does the opposite of what most marketers do in our consumer-driven culture. Rather than highlighting the benefits of following Him and downplaying the costs (what a marketer would do), Jesus tempers the excitement of the crowd of would-be followers surrounding Him with the sobering reality of what following Him would actually cost. 

Jesus uses strong language here. He speaks of “hating” our loved ones (v. 26) and “bearing our own cross” (v. 27). The hate He describes is not literal, but used to illustrate a comparison. In other words, our love for God should be so great it looks like we “hate” our family and our own lives in comparison. Likewise, a life lived in obedience to God will involve bearing a cross and dying to our selfish desires.

Following Jesus is not something to take lightly. It involves careful deliberation and an honest assessment of your willingness to bear the cost of following Him. Here’s a secret to life: most things worth having involve a cost and a degree of hardship to maintain. The cost and maintenance of having something are what give you the capacity to enjoy it. 

If you aren’t willing to bear the cost of following Jesus, you can’t truly know Him in the intimate way He makes Himself known to us through suffering. If you aren’t willing to endure your own cross and die to self in pursuit of God’s will, then you will never experience the resurrection power of Christ that calls you to greater life. 

Yes, following Jesus comes at a high cost. But His love is better than even the closest relationship you have with someone. The path of suffering He leads you down is worth enduring because His path leads to life. He will see the renovation of your heart through to completion. He has already won the battle. Life with Him is not just hard, it’s better. 

Application

Before making any commitment or big decision, it is prudent to consider the costs and envision what your life would be like as a result of making that commitment. If it’s not something you can whole-heartedly agree to, then you are likely not ready to take that step.

This is why trust is such an important factor in decision-making. How can you build trust in God today? What is the Lord calling you to lay down in order to follow Him? 

Pensively pray about this and be honest with yourself about the costs involved with making your decision. 

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for being so clear about the cost of following You. You’re worth being a priority in my life. I pray for the courage to follow You for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.