Cost of the Cross.

When did following Christ become so easy? When did it become so safe? When did the words of Christ "take up your cross and follow me" stop resounding in our ears? When did we move from the idea that the chief end of man is to glorify God to the chief end of God is to glorify man? When did our hearts began only to break for ourselves instead of the lost? Why is our own personal safety and happiness become priority one? How do I continue to justify my materialism in the face of the impoverished? How do I believe to follow Christ, and yet so often his word leaves me unchanged? Do i believe I follow Christ, or am i living as if Christ followed me. When has being a Christian become painless and without sacrifice in North America? Has it ever been different? Is it different now, and my perspective is merely limited by my environment?

Why is everyone seemingly terrified of challenging their brothers and sisters to walk closer with the Lord? Why is o.k. to watch i supposedly care about fret away their salvation in sin? Why are we scared of confrontation? Where is the accountability? Why is our generation so damn therapeutic and obsessed with being politically correct? Christ's closes companions all paid a significant price, socially, physically, and most paid with their lives. Yet, i see people in my generation toting Jesus is my homeboy shirts, who are aghast that following Christ should cost them something personally. Their right, it shouldn't cost something, it will cost them everything.

Christ, toted amongst most believers as the example to follow,in Mark 8:34 told his disciples that to follow him, life would require them to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow him. We are not very good at denying ourselves, or taking up our cross. Often it seems, my prayers have been littered with requests for God to get me through the desert, to break some sin in my life, to get me to the end of some particular journey instead of the strength to get there.

Scripture denotes the importances of trials as character defining, and essentially sources of an unfailing hope (Romans 5:3-4, James 1) Regardless, our faith, and our journey will lead us to hear one of two things at the end. It will either be Well done my good and faithful servant (as did the faithful servant in mat 25)or I never knew you, away from me you evildoers.

Christ in me, Christ with me, Christ for me.