Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” 29 So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, 30 “who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time–houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions–and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 “But many [who are] first will be last, and the last first.”

– Mark 10:28-31 (NKJV)

We are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone. No one earns or can work for his or her salvation. But discipleship does have a cost. Peter shares with Jesus that they have left all to follow Jesus.

To be a disciple, we forsake the things that would compete for our love and obedience to Christ. That is not a cost in the fact that we’ve paid to get something. It is a cost in that we have to get rid of some things in order to gain something else. I think this is what Jesus was illustrating in the parable where a man sells everything he has to buy the field with a tressure. He sells off all his possessions in order to possess the one thing of superior value.

Intimacy is created by exclusivity. I gave up my free agency on the singles market the day I married my wife. I forsook all other potential relationships for her. My marriage cost me my free agency. But I’ll be the first to tell you I got way more than I ever gave up! I’m glad I married my wonderful wife and I wouldn’t trade her for anything. To obtain an exclusive relationship you must give up all rights to whatever would compete for your attention. This is the cost of discipleship.

We must forsake all in order to follow Christ. What we get by following Christ by grace is more than we could ever afford or deserve, but requires that we let go of lesser treasures that do not satisfy in order to gain the ultimate treasure of trusting Christ. There is a cost to discipleship, but it is not the price of admission, it is the price of exclusivity. Are you willing to pay it today?

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for everything we gain when we surrender lesser treasures for the greatest treasure of all. We are grateful for the great gain that there is to be found in following Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. Give us great grace today to encourage and tell others of your grace. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.