The Cost of Discipleship: Standing Strong When Faith Costs Everything

Discipleship isn’t easy—it means climbing through trials, rejection, and sacrifice. Yet even in the struggle, there is joy in pursuing God and strength in His Word

Luke 14:28

[28] “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?

Interesting verses today. There are times when even in my prayers, I tell the Lord, following Him costs a lot. He knows, and it’s by design. I’ve lost friends and jobs over this, but that’s the cost of discipleship. When the Lord says the time is right, He will restore and bring people into our lives who will support and bless us.

At the starting point in my life, when the Lord called me into ministry and to dive deeper into His Word, I was excited. I remember a friend telling me about the cost of discipleship, and it has always stuck with me.

The message of this verse is that discipleship requires a commitment to following Jesus even when it’s difficult or looked down upon. It’s not about being hesitant or afraid to follow Him, but about fully understanding what it means to be a disciple and being prepared to obey.

If we are following Jesus only for what we can get, we won’t stick around when the going gets tough. When God’s way conflicts with our way, we will feel betrayed. But the real problem is that we bought into a shallow, “me-first” faith. We did not count the cost of discipleship. We turned away at the idea of sacrifice and found something else to satisfy our selfish desires.

When Jesus was on earth, there came a time when the support of people He had helped stopped. The cheering crowds became angry mobs. Jesus knew ahead of time that would happen, and He still loved and died for each one of us. In the same way, we will experience persecution and sacrifice, but overwhelming victory is ours through Jesus, who loved us.

Amen.

Romans 8:37–38

[37] No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.[38] And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.