You must count the cost

There is a [tendency for Christians] to share the joys of the Christian life in such a way that it appears to be a life of uninterrupted bliss. Just give your life to Jesus, ask Him into your heart, and you will live happily ever after. All your dreams will come true. You will get all you have ever dreamed of.  But such a picture is not entirely accurate. In reality, it is false advertising. It creates unrealistic expectations which can lead to disillusionment and frustration. The truth of the matter is, the Christian life does offer joy, abundant life, personal fulfillment, but it comes at a cost. The price tag is the Cross! The fulfillment and joy are the internal results of a life that is lost in the pursuit of God. Jesus challenged the disciples to count the cost. His path is not one that will grant us all the prominence, success, money, and possessions we desire in our selfish fantasies. Instead it is one that will cost us everything. It calls for death of our personal ambitions for the sake of Christ. Note Jesus’ own words to His followers. 

Luke:9:23-25 [23] And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. [24] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. [25] For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?
See All...: ²³ And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. ²⁴ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. ²⁵ For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

The cross did not bring up warm little thoughts of comfort to the people of that time. The cross was an instrument of torture and death. But Jesus calls it the way of salvation! The cross is not an easy road by any means. It may mean the loss of everything we hold dear in this life, but it is the way that brings us to the joy of knowing Jesus to such an extent that all other desires pale into insignificance. Christianity is not a means by which we gain the whole world; it is a means by which we gain what really matters; a relationship with the Lord himself that can never be taken away. It is a path that brings true life and satisfies the deeper longings of our hearts. 

The path to God’s ultimate promises is often one that takes us through the wilderness of the cross. Israel left Egypt only to come to an apparent dead end at the Red Sea. The crisis provided the means by which the hand of God could be more clearly revealed.  The wilderness wanderings of Israel could have been shortened by their own choices, but they were led by God to at least a year and a half of desert training before the promised land. There was a wilderness training program intended to increase their faith that was part of the promotion. Between Egypt and Canaan was a wilderness of testing and preparation. This is true for all of God’s faithful. There is a cross before the crown. 

God’s ways include wilderness training. His ways include downsizing and death of our dreams for the sake of His higher dreams and calling for us.

My wife Paula and I have become deeply aware of this phenomenon in our own lives. We have been Christians for many years now. But there came a testing point in our experience where we found ourselves challenged with the greater implications of the Gospel. Through Bible study, prayer, and deepening conviction we came to a point of testing. We came to understand the New Covenant like we had never understood it before. It cut across all that we had been taught in our religious training. We began to walk in the way of the Spirit instead of the written code (2 Cor 3). We came under conviction that we could no longer teach that Sabbath laws and food laws, etc., were binding on Christians.  We realized that we could no longer teach these things in good conscience. We came face to face with the implications of the truth God was revealing to us. We were going to have to leave a career of nearly 20 years in the SDA ministry. This was a brutally painful decision.

God has been very good to us. But it is important to share the whole story for the sake of those who are considering following Jesus with their lives. This has not been an easy path. We lost most of our friendships we had in Adventism—some we still see now and then, a few are just as close as ever, but very few. By far the majority of our past relationships are gone. People have a lot of fear when it comes to associating with those that once were part of the SDA system once they leave. We have sensed this to the core. It has not been easy.

Yet, the other side of the story is also true. We have grown in faith in ways we could never have grown in the comforts of the “secure life”. We have come to understand in a small way the sufferings of Christ who “Made Himself of no reputation” (Phil 2) and experienced rejection at the hands of those He loved so much.

The reality is we would not trade our current life in Christ for all the comforts of the “safe life” no matter how attractive that might seem at times. We have found that true success is not in large bank accounts, great reputations, large ministries, or prominence of any kind. Success is following Jesus fully and faithfully, no matter the cost. Jim Elliot, the Christian missionary/martyr put it this way, “He is not a fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

https://blog.lifeassuranceministries.org/2024/10/17/you-must-count-the-cost/