The Difficult Path of Discipleship
Scripture Reading:
“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.'” (Matthew 16.24-25 ESV)
Main Point: Jesus is honest about the struggles of following Him because He loves us too much to deceive us with false promises.
Jesus could have marketed Christianity differently. He could have promised prosperity, health, and happiness to all His followers. But He didn’t. Instead, He spoke of taking up crosses, losing life to find it, and entering through narrow doors.
Why would Jesus be so honest about the difficulty? Because He loves you too much to lie to you. False promises lead to false hope, and false hope leads to devastating disappointment. When trials come—and they will come—Jesus wants you to be prepared, not blindsided.
The prosperity gospel tells you that faith should make life easier. Jesus tells you that faith will make life meaningful, even when it’s difficult. One sets you up for disappointment when suffering comes; the other prepares you to find purpose and hope even in the midst of pain. This doesn’t mean Jesus wants you to suffer. It means He wants you to understand that suffering isn’t a sign that God has abandoned you or that your faith is inadequate.
Application: Embrace the difficulty of discipleship as evidence of Christ’s honesty and love, not as a sign of God’s abandonment. How does Jesus’ honesty about difficulty demonstrate His love? What cross is He asking you to take up today?
Prayer:
Thank You for being honest about the cost of discipleship and for walking with me through every difficulty. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Responses