The Cost of being Jesus' Follower
"Whoever is not willing to carry his cross and follow me
cannot be my follower."
(Luke 14: 27)
We feel privileged to be a follower of Jesus. It's God's grace and nothing else that finds us and makes us worthy to be his follower. There are thousand and more reasons why we should feel privileged to be a follower of Jesus. But, my friend, we cannot forget the most important thing; the cross. The burden that was on Jesus's shoulders. The hard, rough and heavy log that Jesus himself had to carry. Being a follower of Jesus and trying to do the best to imitate the spiritual values of Christ himself and to follow his path, the question about the cross that was on his shoulders on his way to Calvary strikes us too. The weight of the cross is already felt. And there it goes. All the 20th century burdens come in front of our eyes. Carrying the cross and following Jesus is the cost of being His follower.
There's so much of joy assured. There's plenty of blessings promised. There are numerous spiritual gifts that are given by God to those who follow Him. But more than anything the qualifying point would be your willingness carry the cross. Are you really ready for that? My friend, that's the greatest qualifier. You need to really put yourself before the mirror, look at yourself there and ask whether you are really ready to carry the cross. Only if your answer is a clear "YES", you are qualified.
Just have a closer look at the Bible passage that we've we just read. Jesus is very clear with his approval. The most symbolic characteristic of being a follower of Jesus is, not the way you carry your Bible, not what you dress or the way you've combed your hair, but the willingness to carry the cross. Carrying it for the purpose of not a single person but the goodness of the people around you; just like how Jesus did.
When you decided to become a follower of Jesus, the path would be looking clean. The pains and sufferings would vanish. The heart finds peace and you feel that you are all geared up for the following. You may not have to stumble and fall, but you may have to carry the cross, knowing that this is the greatest qualifier to be a follower of Jesus. Only the closer walk of faith with God, and a total dependence on Him would be the key factors in enabling you to carry the cross. Carrying the burden on your shoulders is not an easy thing. Remember? Jesus in Gethsemane? The thought of the cross itself was frightening to Him. There were even moments when Jesus asked God to take away this cup from him; it was that serious.
My dear friend, if you want to be a faithful follower of Jesus, and live according to what Jesus Christ has taught, then you must for sure, should be feeling the weight of the cross behind. You may be a top scorer, at the top of the hierarchy. But the only possible point that would enable you to become a follower of Jesus Christ is your willingness to carry the cross.
Are you willing?
