THE REAL COST OF BEING A DISCIPLE
(A Devotional for the Dangerously Comfortable)
So … you want to follow Jesus?
Fantastic.
Please pick up your complimentary participation trophy and your coupon for “Half-Price Discipleship,” redeemable at any church where the air-conditioning is perfect and the sermons never exceed 22 minutes.
Except—there’s just one small problem.
Jesus never offered a discount.
He offered a cross.
(And no, the cross is not the cute silver pendant you wear ironically with your Target-brand graphic tee.)
“If Anyone Would Come After Me…”
Jesus said, If ANYONE would come after Me.
Not “if the spiritually gifted,”
Not “if the staff,”
Not “if the retired people who have flexible schedules,”
Not “if you feel like it.”
Apparently, Jesus forgot to consult our modern sense of convenience.
He just said anyone.
And then He ruined the whole vibe by adding:
“…let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
Deny yourself?
In this economy?
With these subscription services?
With this level of burnout?
Surely Jesus didn’t mean literally deny myself.
Probably He meant something more manageable, like:
Cut carbs
Cut stress
Cut difficult people
Cut anything that might get in the way of “my peace”
But no—He meant you.
Your will.
Your comfort.
Your preferences.
Your right to decide what your life is about.
Jesus asks for the steering wheel, the keys, the registration, and the insurance policy.
The Cross You Carry Isn’t Monogrammed
Somewhere along the way we turned cross-bearing into:
“Ugh, my WiFi is slow today,”
“My coffee order got messed up,”
“My kids won’t stop fighting,”
“My pastor didn’t text me back fast enough,”
“My blessings aren’t blessing hard enough.”
That’s not a cross.
That’s Tuesday.
Your cross is anything that forces you to actually trust God instead of yourself.
Your cross is the part of your life that costs you something you wanted to keep.
Your cross is the thing that says,
“I can’t do this unless Jesus really is worth more than everything I’m tempted to cling to.”
Following Jesus Was Never Supposed to Fit Into Your Free Time
We treat discipleship like it’s Netflix:
“I’ll get to it when I’m in the mood, and if the episode is boring, I’ll skip it.”
But Jesus didn’t say,
“Seek first your job, your goals, your hobbies, your comfort, your vacations, your productivity apps, your Instagram brand—and then if there’s room, toss in a little Kingdom.”
He said, “Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God.”
First.
Before all the shiny things that rust.
Before all the urgent things that aren’t actually important.
Before all the excuses that sound wise but taste like lukewarm coffee.
If your discipleship doesn’t interrupt your life, it’s probably not discipleship.
It’s décor.
Comfort is Killing More Callings Than Sin Ever Could
We blame the devil for a lot.
But half the time the devil doesn’t have to tempt us—
We’re already sedated by comfort.
Comfort says:
“Rest.”
“Take it easy.”
“You deserve it.”
“Don’t overdo it.”
“Don’t risk anything.”
“Don’t sacrifice.”
“Don’t make waves.”
“Don’t volunteer.”
“Don’t obey Jesus when it’s inconvenient.”
Comfort is the enemy that smiles while it steals.
And some of us have handed it the keys to the house.
The Only Reason We Should Need to Serve God
Here’s the twist:
Discipleship costs everything…but only because Jesus is worth everything.
Serving Him isn’t losing.
It’s trading temporary trinkets for eternal treasure.
It’s cashing in comfort for purpose.
It’s stepping out of self-preservation and into Spirit-powered resurrection.
The early church flipped empires without microphones, budgets, or Instagram reels.
We can’t even flip our schedule without complaining.
Maybe the problem isn’t that God stopped moving.
Maybe the problem is we stopped following.
Wake Up. Get Up. Step Up.
You weren’t saved for a spiritual spa day.
You were saved to shake the world.
So go ahead—
Repent of the excuses.
Release the comfort.
Reclaim your calling.
Return to the God who still transforms ordinary people into Kingdom forces.
If you want the life Jesus promised,
you need to walk the path Jesus paved—
and that path always has splinters.
The Best Is Yet to Come,
Rev. John Roberts
What a beautiful description of what happens when we allow God’s plans to become our plans! Follow and reap the benefits even though they are not what you expected—they will bless you!