Breakfast With Christ - The Price Of Discipleship

BREAKFAST WITH CHRIST

TOPIC: THE PRICE OF DISCIPLESHIP SCRIPTURE: LUKE 9:23 "Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."

Welcome to BWC. In our world today, the term "Christian" has been used loosely to refer to anyone who goes to Church and professes the Christian "religion." The truth however is that a lot of church goers are not Christians and a lot of us "Christians" are just practicing religion. We know God, but we have no personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

In our scripture for today, Jesus gave us the price we must pay to qualify as His followers. We must deny ourselves and carry our cross/burdens and follow Him DAILY. Carrying our cross to follow Jesus must be an every day activity.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO DENY OURSELVES? To deny ourselves is to reject all the comfort of this world. To deny ourselves is to reject all the sinful pleasures of this world. To deny ourselves is to put God first always. To deny ourselves is to forsake everything in this world for the sake of Jesus Christ. Until we are able to reject the attractions of this world, we cannot be followers of Jesus Christ.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO CARRY YOUR CROSS? The Cross is a symbol of shame, the cross represents our problems/burdens/challenges. Jesus didnt ask us to complain about out problems, He said we should carry them DAILY and follow Him. The truth is you cannot be a follower of Christ and still be comfortable in this world. The systems of the world will fight you until you give up on God.

Nowhere in the New Testament did Jesus promise a trouble-free life for His followers. Going through troubles or pain as a Christian doesn't mean God has abandoned you. To be a true follower of Christ, you need to bear all the afflictions and follow Christ. Our problems must not distract us from focusing on Jesus.

So are you willing to pay the price? Reading the Bible, praying, fasting or going to church are religious activities, they don't make us Christians. A Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ is a person who has rejected the pleasures of this world and has decided to follow Jesus no matter how hard it gets.

Every day you wake up, you need to bear in mind that things can go wrong in your life, you can lose a loved one, you can fall sick or lose your job, anything is possible. If any of these happens, are you still prepared to follow Jesus Christ and be faithful to Him?

Being a Christian is not an immunity against problems. You will face problems but your ability to be faithful to Jesus even in the midst of your troubles is what makes you a Christian. Stay blessed!

PRAYER LINE: Lord, today, I ask you to give me the strength to reject the attractions of this world and faithfully follow you daily. Amen