Matthew 16:24-26 (ESV) – Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

This is a powerful point Jesus makes. Living the best life possible takes true dedication on a singular focus: relationship with him. I don’t know about you, but that has scared me at times. I think of all the things I love and wonder how easily I could give them up if God asked me to. Please understand, God doesn’t ask us to give up everything and go into poverty for him. The things and opportunities we have are gifts from God and we should use them well. In that, we also need to remember they belong ultimately to God. If he asks for them back, we need to be ready to let go of them.

I think an important part of our spiritual journey is learning how to let go. For me, that might mean giving up some time I wanted to be online with friends gaming. It might mean turning off the TV in the morning before work, or walking away from an activity I wanted to do. It might mean recognizing a toxic situation and pulling myself back. These are by no means easy. Sin is easy, following God is not. On the other hand, following God is fulfilling, sin is not. We need to follow God.

Unfortunately there’s a little caveat in there that I think we can easily miss. We like to focus on our actions more than our minds. We keep ourselves from going to a party in a toxic environment, but then we spend our time lamenting about how fun it would have been. We push ourselves to step into serving roles, and mentally complain or count the seconds. We “obey” God, but reluctantly. If that’s you, know that I’ve been there so many times. I am still often convicted of these when my selfishness seeps in. We need to remember what Jesus said to us.

Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28 (NIV) – “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. ……
……“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

As Frank Turek would say, “well thanks a lot Jesus, how am I supposed to live up to that?” This is crucial, and so challenging. It’s not enough to just act for God, we need to think and feel for him too. Look, this isn’t easy. I am going to fail sometimes, and so are you. But God won’t give up on us.

The next time you find yourself lamenting over what you gave up, or wishing your servant work would end, remember to catch yourself. The more we long for our sin, the more we will find ourselves coming back to it. Let’s instead try to look at the positives that come from serving God. Community, mutual understanding, warmth, connection, godly entertainment, companionship, good natured humor, opportunity, growth. These are beautiful gifts that God freely gives us. We cannot earn them, but we can experience them at their greatest when we turn our hearts to God.

And remember, if it feels impossible, we can always ask for help. Pray to our Heavenly Father for guidance and assistance. Talk to your local pastor, or a trusted friend. You can even reach out to me in the comments below. We can get through this together, and with our hearts on God we will.