Prepared to Pay the Price

Some people start their new life in Christ with great promise but then suddenly fall away. Others start off with no apparent promise whatsoever, but they seem to gain strength as time goes by.

The Bible tells us, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning; the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit” (Ecclesiastes 7:8 NKJV).

Nonbelievers can get excited in the emotion of a moment. Maybe they admire a Christian’s commitment, joy, and dedication, so they say, “I like this. I’m going to become a Christian.”

But are they prepared to really be a Christian? Do they understand what it means?

The Bible tells us about a man who approached Jesus and said, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go” (Luke 9:57 NKJV). Matthew’s Gospel tells us that he was a scribe (see 8:19).

That detail may not mean a lot to us today, but it is significant. The scribes were authorities in Jewish law. They were the scholarly class of Jewish society. And typically they were teachers themselves, not followers of other teachers.

So, it was notable for a man of this social position to go to Jesus and say what he said. This is what we might call a celebrity convert. If you looked at Jesus’ ragtag little group at this point, you would have expected Him to say, “Buddy, come on board! I would like you to stand at the front of the line.”

Instead, Jesus said something that almost seemed to repel the man: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Luke 9:58 NKJV). In a sense, Jesus was checking his motives.

We want the glory, but are we prepared to make the sacrifice? Are we ready to take up our cross and follow Jesus Christ? Are we prepared to obey God?