Luke 9:23-27
Taking Up His Cross
23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."
Matthew 7:13-14
The Narrow and Wide Gates
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 10:32-42
On Following Jesus
32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn
“‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
Jesus makes it clear that following Him is not easy...Following Jesus' teachings takes effort...Following Him strangely seems to make others uncomfortable...He even tells us that a man can be against his father and a daughter can be against her mother, when one follows Him and the other one does not...His Way is a straight and narrow path, with a narrow gate...Being a Christian will require discipline, pain, suffering, effort, obedience, and sacrifice...
G. K. Chesterton wrote, "There is a sense that Christianity is only old hat...It’s been around for so long and so many people, cultures, and even civilizations have tried it...Yet, despite such endlessly common efforts, they seemed to have still fallen short...They didn’t produce the missing link, the holy grail, or that secret to life that makes sense of this mysterious existence...Christianity is just a worn out pair of shoes, used when useful and in the end “found wanting.”...That’s the common perception anyway...But it’s wrong...The truth is that the Christian life has largely “been found difficult and left untried.”...And because of that we’ve never actually experienced the fullness of the Christian ideal...There are some who have actually overcome the difficulties, given it a fair try and did not find it wanting at all...They’re called Saints...So before we go writing off Christianity as more of the same old hat, consider looking to the Saints and trying on a hat that you perhaps have never fully tried."...
It is easier to go about your day and do your own thing, and continuing doing that each and everyday in life...Just make your decisions that are not in tune with Jesus’ teachings and your life in that respect is a lot easier...No one in that situation in your daily choices to please but yourself...When you are completely in control of your own decisions and do not pay attention or think about what He has or had to say, is a very wide road and easy to maneuver...Life is easier in that respect, because the Christian life has been found difficult and is very often left untried because of its difficulty in following His ideals...Who wants to get into the controversy around Him?...Who wants to follow Someone and do what they have to say, especially when it is so difficult?...