It Costs To Be A Christian
Submitted by Frank Williams
January 23, 2025
Mt 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
The blessed Creator made homes for all His critters, but He sacrificed the earthly comfort of a bed and pillow for Himself. It was surely a part of the Father’s will for His life, yet it speaks volumes to us of the Father’s will for us. There must be a willing surrender to His wise purposes in our lives.
Florence Nightingale, at thirty, wrote in her diary, “I am thirty years of age, the age at which Christ began His mission. Now, Lord, let me think only of Thy will.” Years later, near the end of her life, she was asked the secret of her life. She replied. “Well, I can only give one explanation. That is, I have kept nothing back from God.”
The Son of God became the Son of Man, and He will always remain the Son of Man. He did so that He might give His all to be the eternal Sacrifice for all of our sins. Interestingly, Son of Man was His favorite title for Himself. Yet, devils who would call Him “Son of God,” never referred to Him as the “Son of Man.”
Beloved, it doesn’t cost us anything to become a child of God. That is a regenerating gift of God, and it is not by the works and efforts of man. It occurs by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus, as it says in Eph 2:8-9.
But it dost cost something to be a true Christian. The first occurrence of this identifying mark was in Antioch. The disciples in this church were so committed to Jesus that unbelievers saw their likeness to Christ and began referring to them as Christians. It was meant as ridicule.
Ac 11:26 ...And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
Peter also relates the difficulty that a Christian may face in life. 1Pe 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
Let it not be forgotten that it does cost something to be a committed follower of Jesus. Someone said, “To be a nominal Christian, and go to church, is cheap and easy work.”
Consider – A true Christian will measure the personal cost as a privilege.
