Question from a WordTruth.Com friend:

>> Why is obedience costly?

WordTruth.Com Response:

What a great question! It would seem so easy to simply do what God has told us to do. Yet the experience of God's people for thousands of years has proven otherwise. In fact, our LORD Jesus Christ told us that it would be costly to follow Him:

 If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. (Luke 9:23, NIV)

Consider what you must give up to follow Christ. Your service may be required, investing yourself in the lives of others to lead them to faith in Christ and growth in His grace. Your time may be required to do what the LORD has called you to accomplish. Your money may be required to support His kingdom work in this world. All your natural desires for self-fulfillment, ambition, significance from the world's perspective will have to take a back seat to the will of God ("let him deny himself"). This does not mean you will never have fun or be fulfilled as a person. It just means that you put obeying the LORD first.

The phrase "take up his cross daily" is an interesting one. It has been interpreted in various ways through the years. Most commonly it is interpreted to mean a particular burden that one must bear in life. Looking at what Jesus is saying in this passage of Scripture, I do not agree with that interpretation. It seems that here Jesus is speaking of the will of an individual. When God made humans in His image (Gen. 1:27), He imparted to us certain attributes that He also possesses -- the ability to think or reason, emotions, and a will to make decisions. In order to "deny yourself" you will have to think about the things that God has commanded as they apply in your life and come to a decision point. To "take up [your] cross daily"you must exercise your will at this decision point to choose obedience to God.

Obedience is costly because it requires your life to be devoted to God. Obedience is costly because it requires self-denial and sacrifice, choosing instead to rely on God's promise to graciously provide for your needs (Matthew 6:33; Phil 4:19). As Jesus declared:

 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for My sake and for the gospel's will save it. (Mark 8:35, NKJV)

I hope this begins to answer what is, in reality, a life-long question for every person.

May the LORD Jesus Christ bless you with wisdom to know His will and the courage to follow Him!

  Randy Lariscy :-)
  Director - WordTruth Ministries

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Copyright 5/17/2000, Randy Lariscy.