The first lesson in following Christ is not comfort, success, influence, or personal fulfilment. The first lesson is death to self.
Jesus never called men to add Him to an already crowded life. He called them to lose their lives for His sake, to deny themselves, to take up the cross, and to follow Him wherever He leads.
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).
Modern religion often tries to make discipleship sound easy. It speaks of Jesus as though He came to improve our dreams, protect our idols, and make life smoother. But Christ was brutally clear. No one can follow Him while still clinging to his own throne.
“So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions” (Luke 14:33).
This does not mean every believer loses the same earthly things in the same way. It means Christ must own the heart completely. Family, comfort, reputation, ambition, security, money, and even life itself must bow beneath His Lordship.
“More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8).
The cost of discipleship is everything. But what we lose for Christ is nothing compared to the glory of gaining Christ.
“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25).