Discipleship Is Not a Hobby
Saturday’s Verse:
From Luke 14:27 ESV
(Jesus said) “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”
Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat it. Following Him is not about comfort. It is not a side-gig on top of an otherwise well-managed life. Total. All in. Everything.
When large crowds are following Jesus in Luke 14, instead of feeding their excitement, He halts and says to them: “Count the cost.” Following Him may mean losing your relationships, your reputation, your plans, your freedom—to pick up your cross and follow Him even to the point of death. Discipleship is not a hobby. It is not cheap.
This is not the costly sacrifice we perform to earn our salvation. That is already paid for, all at once, by Christ’s death and resurrection—by grace through faith. Grace is not cheap. It is free, not because it cost nothing, but because Jesus paid everything.
Jesus’ call to take up our cross is His call to die—to self, to sin, to the delusion that we somehow belong to ourselves. He calls us to live under Him in His kingdom and follow wherever He leads, even when the road is rocky.
We do not walk alone. The same Spirit who gives us faith strengthens us for the walk. We walk together in the body of Christ. And Christ, who bore His cross all the way to Calvary, walks in front of us.
So count the cost—and don’t be afraid. All that we lose pales in comparison with what we gain: life with Jesus, now and forever.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, You gave everything to make me Your own. Teach me to trust You when discipleship is hard. Strengthen me to carry my cross and follow You. Let me never forget that You walk with me. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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