The early church had a clear understanding of what they would need to give up to follow Christ. He told them from the very beginning: "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me." In today's church we have handed everyone a posturepedic cross. Complete with motivational speeches, self esteem workshops, and feel good conferences. I wonder how many people would still follow Jesus if they knew it meant death to self? How many of us would lay down our lives for him after seeing people being crucified on crosses, and know that one day you might be hanging on one of those? How many of us would be like the rich young ruler who could not give up that one thing. For him it was money. For us it could be a relationship, drugs, alcohol, pornography, TV, video games, sex or you fill in the blank. How many of us would still get offended if he did not follow our religious protocols or traditions of men? How many of us are only there for what we can get from Him? Are you like the fish and loaves people seeing God as a celestial Santa Claus, genie, or slot machine? Do you get offended when things don't go your way, have a temper tantrum, and walk away? In the crowds of millions of supposed Christians, we need to ask ourselves, "Am I truly a disciple of Jesus Christ? Will I take up my cross, and follow Him?"
Jaziz Gutierrez