COST OF DISCIPLESHIP

I brought my Kindle with me on the Into the Wild adventure this year. I figured I would get some light reading in during our trip. I shopped the Kindle store for something easy or fun to read. I downloaded a couple of dumb novels that wouldn’t challenge me too much intellectually, if you know what I mean. About halfway through the second novel, God asked me why I was putting that trash in my mind and why not read something good.

I went back to the Kindle store and browsed the religion section. My eyes immediately fell on a book titled, “RADICAL, taking back your faith from the American Dream.” It was by a guy named David Platt. I never heard of him, but liked the title, so I downloaded it. It amazes me how just the little thoughts or ideas that God puts in your mind end up transforming your life forever. This book grabbed me from the very first paragraph and has made me challenge everything in my life.

This book makes you think about the American Dream (go to college, get a job, wife, family, 401k plan and health insurance and go to church on Sundays) compared to the cost of following Jesus. When Jesus talked about the “rich” I always knew those passages were referring to Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Donald Trump and Oprah Winfrey. Now those people are rich. Me? I’m just trying to keep my head above water. But WE are all RICH who live in America compared to the rest of world. I don’t care if you are on welfare or food stamps; you are still rich by the standards of the rest of the world. All Americans were born with a silver spoon in their mouth and most of us don’t even realize it, including me. It became crystal clear to me the “rich” man Jesus was referring to was ME.

How many of us today would really follow Jesus if he told us to sell EVERYTHING and give it to the poor? Who would follow Him if He said, “Quit your job, your wife, your family and follow me?” Who would follow him if He said, “you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.” I’ve worked my whole life for this “stuff”! Quit my job in this economy? Lose my life for You? What are you nuts or something? But that’s exactly what the cost of discipleship is all about.

This book made me focus on having a radical relationship with God. I had to ask God to show me all the “things” or “stuff” in my life that I had put in front of Him. The “things” I had put my security in, instead of Him. I wasn’t real thrilled with all the “things” he showed me. After 50 some years I had accumulated a lot of “stuff”. But in the words of Paul, all this stuff is worthless compared to the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus. So if the world calls me crazy or stupid, just know I am just trying to walk out this radical relationship with God. I wish you all a Merry Christmas,


God Bless, Art