Count the Cost

Jesus is Not My Nirvana

It's time to count the cost of being a disciple.

Sometimes I believe that because I belong to Jesus I should live "happily ever after." I think that God owes me something.

I also think that because I'm a Christian, I need to have a problem-free life so that God won't be embarrassed.

Wait - how does Christianity different from all the other new age bologna out there?

I may have forgotten to count the cost of this journey.

I guarantee that if you accept Jesus tonight, your life will start getting harder tomorrow.

Our well-to-do western culture has really tried at times to package Christianity as a path to happiness and success. We are forgetting something very important. Our God is not made by human hands and he does not conform to our wishes like a genie. Any god who conforms to my ideas and fits inside my box is a false and powerless god.

When I truly seek God to find out who he is, I fall in love with a person who doesn't fit in my box.

He does't promise me happiness or success. He refuses to be my fairy godmother or my good luck charm. He does not promise Nirvana. Why am I with him, again?

Oh, yeah. Because He is God. Because he is the creator of the world and he chose to love me. Because he so longed for a real relationship that he gave me every opportunity in the world to not choose him. Because he gave his life away.

I follow Jesus because I count the cost and find it to be well worth every penny.

God is love. He is wise, just, holy, sovereign, faithful, kind, patient, compassionate, and forgiving.

I love God because of who he is; not because of what he will give me.

Walking with Jesus is not a striving journey to a perfect ending. It is the present reality of trusting and leaning on him today, right now, this moment, regardless of circumstances.

God may part the sea tomorrow; however, he also may ask me to wander around in the wilderness for 40 years.

He may ask me to stand right between the approaching army and the water and just sustain.

Just wait.

Just stand.

Longer than I thought I could stand, but still standing in the same place.

Am I willing to love him and trust him in any situation without an expectation that he will ride in on a white horse tomorrow?

If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace; if he has made it bitter, drink it in communion with him.

-Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

We find sweet communion with God when decide to love him with no conditions.

What has challenged your faith?

Has your faith been tested by difficult circumstances? Are you walking through a difficult situation right now? Tell us your story. You don't have to have all of the answers figured out. Just share.

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Discipleship Resources

Drawing Women Closer to the Heart of God, DVD By Beverly LaHaye / Word Entertainment Inc

When Life and Beliefs Collide: How Knowing God Makes a Difference By Carolyn Custis James / Zondervan

My Utmost For His Highest, Classic Edition, Mass Market Paperback By Oswald Chambers / Barbour Publishing

The Practice of the Presence of God By Brother Lawrence / Baker

Come Thirsty, softcover By Max Lucado / Thomas Nelson

O2: Breathing New Life into Faith By Richard Dahlstrom / Harvest House Publishers

The Beloved Disciple: Following John to the Heart of Jesus By Beth Moore / B & H Publishing Group

The Beloved Disciple: Following John to the Heart of Jesus (abridged on 3 Compact Discs) By Beth Moore, Sandra Burr / Brilliance Audio

John: 90 Days with the Beloved Disciple By Beth Moore / B & H Publishing Group