How far are you willing to go to gain what you know you need? Some of the best movies and television series we love are almost always built around a theme where the protagonist has a specific need that requires great personal sacrifice to achieve. That sacrifice may be money, or career, or relationships, or even his or her very life. We identify with the inner struggle of deciding when one need is of greater value than another. We’ve all faced choices, though maybe not always so dramatic, where we had to choose how much we were willing to give up to gain what would ultimately benefit us or our family the most.
But do we regularly wrestle in the same ways over our spiritual needs? Do we value our spiritual lives, our spiritual growth, and our relationship with Christ and His Church in the same ways we value the physical and relational aspects of our life? On multiple occasions in the gospel accounts, we see Jesus warn people of the cost of discipleship.
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
Luke 9:23-24 (ESV)
For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?…Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
Luke 14:28-31 (ESV)
Those who followed Christ valued Him above their former ways of life and self-interests. In this season at Eastmont, we are prayerfully considering how to employ an effective overall strategy for discipleship. We want to clearly provide markers of spiritual growth whereby members can recognize where they are in their faith journey and what their next step needs to be in their spiritual growth. To say, “Yes,” to one thing is to say, “No,” to another. Every step deeper in Christ requires greater self-denial to some of the objects, activities, and ideals we currently value. This world needs Jesus. And we know we need Him all the more. As Eastmont offers spiritual growth opportunities in Worship, LifeGroups, GrowthTracks, various ministries, and more, how far are you willing to go to gain what you know we all need? Where is the LORD convicting you to step out of your comfort zone to join in on that GrowthTrack? Or to step into the LifeGroup class? Or volunteer in that role? What is the next step you’ll take to attain the spiritual growth you need?