Everything costs more this year. That is a fact for which we brace ourselves whenever a new purchase is even considered. Imagine how delighted I was when I went to buy a few violas to make the backyard a little more colorful for the dreary winter ahead of us, and the price hadn’t gone up!
In the meantime, a friend told me about a clearance deal on a lovely climbing rose. Just the thing to replace two that we lost! But alas; the clearance price was only half the regular price, not enough of a bargain to justify purchasing one for each side of the arbor.
Even grocery shopping has changed a bit as we adjust to more economical choices, when they even exist. But are we prone do doing a bit of spiritual “bargain hunting?” If we try that, it won’t end well….literally.
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it’” (Matthew 16:24, 25; KJV).
Serving Christ is an all-or-nothing proposition. We either serve Him, or we do not. A bargain shopping mentality will only land you on the left side in the judgment with the goats, as described in Matthew 25.
Some will argue that Jesus has different requirements for different people, as he required the rich young ruler to sell all that he had in addition to the general command for “any man” in Matthew 16 (Mark 10:21). Hopefully, we do not do this to get out of following Christ with everything we are and have; since this was the point of the whole account.
The rich young ruler had known and loved and followed the Scriptures from his youth. He was loved by Jesus; “Then Jesus, beholding him, loved him” (Mark 10:21a). Lots of love all around, but the complete commitment to God was, unfortunately, not there.
“Take up thy cross” can mean a lot of things, but there is one thing of which we can be certain; it will not be pleasant or easy. It’s not going to be like going to the garden center and shelling out half your grocery money for pretty flowering plants. There may be plenty of opportunities to “take time and smell the roses,” but there will be tough decisions and hard times also.
When we make the decision to follow Jesus, the decisions that follow day by day will reflect that decision – and the true price – of discipleship. We follow him no matter what, not just when it’s easy or pleasant. Cutting down my beautiful purple roses was hard, but they were infected with an incurable virus which could infect other roses in the neighborhood. Buying violas at bargain prices was easy and pleasant.
Once we understand this, we will understand this life and its struggles better, we will have a more secure anchor in eternity, and we will be more pleasing to our Lord.