Commitment - Re-CommitmentIsampula

Mike Medlin: The Cost of Commiting to Christ

If you’ve ever purchased a motorcycle, car or home, then you know that the sales process always comes with a heavy dose of purchase benefits on the front end. Maybe the salesman lets you sit in the showroom car’s cushy leather seats and play with all the new dashboard buttons and gizmos while you’re intoxicated by that new car smell. Maybe he lets you take the bike around the block for a test spin and experience the immediate rush of power and prestige it brings. Or maybe it’s the walk-through of the posh condo display unit that convinces you that it’s time to level up your standard of living. No matter the scenario, the fine print of purchasing never comes until the end. There’s no talk of financing, down payments, depreciation, interest rates and terms until we’re fully convinced to purchase. No salesman wants the details to come between us and their commission, uh…I mean us and our dreams.  

Jesus is no salesman, at least not one like we’re accustomed to.  In Luke 14’s Great Banquet parable, Jesus offers an open invitation to receive his free gift of salvation. However, just a few verses later, He cautions the same audience about the high cost of committing to discipleship. Eternal life is free, but there is a price to pay to be one of Jesus’ disciples. Before we commit, He encourages us to consider the cost. It may cost our career, relationships, finances, and in extreme cases, even our lives. No, Jesus is not a typical salesman. He puts the fine print up front. The cost of discipleship is high but it’s benefits are priceless:  “whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Prayer: Father God, thank you for your free gift of salvation and the blessed opportunity to follow you in discipleship. Lord, as I consider the cost of discipleship, help me to remember that the benefits of daily following Jesus far outweigh the costs. In Jesus’ name. Amen.