I Won’t Give God What Cost Me Nothing

I am sure that I’m not the only one who has experienced this;  I have numerously gone to the shop to buy something, and to my surprise, the price of the item I intended to buy is way higher than my budget. There are times I didn’t buy the item at all. Some price tags can be intimidating. They push many away, and only a few can afford it.

The same is happening to many who have prayed and sought God’s will and are sure of His plans. Yet, they are holding back after counting the cost. They have found the cost of following Christ is too great. So, instead, they continue in their old ways, and shelve God’s will and plan for their lives. The familiar path remains their only path. The comfort that comes with familiarity soothes them into disobedience and fails to pay the cost. 

The rise of teachers who teach that salvation is an event also accelerates the wrong narrative. That one is guaranteed eternal life after reciting the short prayer of accepting Christ. And that’s all they need to get born again.

When a disciple is taught that’s all they need, they tend to live a reckless life. They live life with little or no regard for God’s commands. After all, their names are in the Book of Life. Why worry about anything else? They tend to consider those striving to live Holy lives as fools.

Seeking God’s Kingdom will not be a priority, after all, they can afford to run their own lives.

David said, “I will not offer to God a sacrifice that is not a sacrifice.” To David, anything that didn’t cost him was not a sacrifice fit to be offered to God, it was not a sacrifice. David was a real worshipper who understood God’s will. He understood that anything that was not of great value to him was not valuable in the sight of God. He determined in his heart to pay the total price so that God would receive his all. He was ready to go broke to please God. To him, there was no shortcut to paying the total cost, however big it was. 

But is there costless discipleship? Does it exist? The cost of being a disciple is way higher than some may think or estimate. The moment one decides to follow Jesus deliberately; marks the moment that one loses their freedom. One concrete decision strips one of all the freedoms and rights that they once had. Henceforth all choices and decisions are informed and communicated by the Master. The Bible becomes the constitution of that believer, and everything must be done in line with God’s constitution. It dictates where one can go, does, thinks, studies, and even relationships. The Kingdom then confers Kingdom rights on that disciple to be its representative here on earth.

I know that not many in this age like to have “masters” lording over everything they do. People implement all of manner smart strategies to defy authority and live “free”. The mention of slaves and slavery angers many. But like Apostle Paul did put it, once a disciple, you automatically become a slave. You become a slave to righteousness (Rom 6:18) and a slave to God’s law (Rom 7:25). This kind of slavery means total commitment and obedience to God’s Word, His Kingdom, and righteousness.

****Peter Kale (not his real name) is a missionary serving among an unreached people group in Northeastern Kenya