Too Great a Price?

“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Mark 8:34-36

I wouldn’t consider myself a hoarder, but there was a time in my life when I had trouble getting rid of just about anything. I thought I needed to hold on to things because—you know—I might need them one day. We often live our lives as if this life and the things of this world will last forever. But time marches on and things deteriorate. Everything in this world is slowly passing away.

It might be cliche, but six decades of trips around the sun have helped me understand that the most important things in this life are not things at all. The most important things in life are people. The people in my life are worth sacrificing for. My love for them is worth giving up some creature comfort for their good.

Imagine how important we are to the God who made us. Let’s put this in perspective, it was He who spoke simple words and caused order to arise out of chaos—whose very breath created stars. This God—He didn’t just give up some creature comforts for you and me. He sacrificed His only Son. And yet we hesitate to follow Him because it may get uncomfortable. What are you clinging to so tightly that is worth losing eternity over? Are you hanging on to some lifestyle or petty sin because it’s too great a price to pay? What about the price He paid?

Salvation is free, but it will cost you everything. Too great a price? Believe me when I say, you’re not going to like the alternative. Jesus said, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Think about it. It’s just not worth it.