Following

Lately, I have been reminded that Christ never said following him would be easy. Shortly after arriving back in the States, we have had to trust more in God and allow Him to change circumstances that haven't looked very secure. I am reminded of what Christ said in Matthew 8:18-22. "When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he told his followers to go to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to Jesus and said, Teacher I will follow you any place you go. Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes to live in, and the birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to rest his head. Another man, one of Jesus' followers said to him, Lord, first let me go and bury my father. But Jesus told him, Follow me and let the people who are dead bury their own dead." The point is that following Jesus isn't the easy road. It seems many false teachers in our day are proclaiming a gospel of easiness and a walk void of trials and tribulations, a gospel where enough faith can quickly allow you to get out of any uncomfortable circumstances. However, Christ preached a Gospel that came with a cost. The cost was leaving everything that would be considered of value in this world behind and following Him wholly. What does that look like in US culture today. I don't know, but a follower of Christ doesn't even have time to bury their father much less watch sports, spend time surfing the internet, shopping for clothes and things that aren't even needed. Following Christ also means being mobile, for even He himself has no home to rest. Put simply, a follower of Christ seizes the moment with little regard for the future. Kind of sounds counter-cultural.