Truth Matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis - Despising Your Birth Right

This is Truth Matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis, despising your birthright and counting the cost of following Jesus.

I'm Dr. Cheryl Davis, where today on Truth Matters we'll count the cost of following Jesus. To some, the Christian life may seem glamorous or enchanting, as we view the life of famous pastors on TV and radio. But following Christ is not always that glamorous, safe, or financially prosperous life that is publicized or that we're made to believe. For some, they may enjoy the easy life, while others bring the light to dark nations, where being a Christian is not a position of entitlement, but one of persecution. But from what I have experienced in my personal walk with Christ, it's like Jesus said in Luke 9.

Then he said to them all, If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? It is our highest privilege to follow Christ by carrying our own cross, which is denying ourselves. Often we put the most precious things to us on the throne of our hearts. Things like family, jobs, money, our reputation, success, pleasure, and wealth.

These things may satisfy your ego, but they won't satisfy your soul. But one day, grace may demand that you give it all up to follow Jesus. Notice I emphasize the word all, meaning that we must come to a place in our relationship with Jesus where he increases while we decrease, emptying ourselves of what we want and seeking, rather, what he wants. It's as Oswald Chambers said, my utmost for his highest, a life sold out for Jesus where he sits on the front row while we sit on the back row, where his purposes become first and ours become last.

I was one of those people for a long time. I put those things most precious to me on the throne of my heart. And one by one, God made the circumstances so difficult that I was forced to surrender. Really, I would rather be able to say that I was willingly able to give them up, but it took the Holy Spirit to mold me into what I needed to be, and it took some time for the change to come. It is not easy to transition from self to a selfless life in Christ.

It takes commitment, and it absolutely takes courage. Every circumstance or experience in our life is God ordained in order to conform us into the image of his son. That means dying to self and putting away our physical desires in order to attain spiritual blessings. In the middle of the dying process, we can grow weary and refuse to die. We can step out of the process and choose the flesh over the spiritual. Hebrews 12, 15 through 17 says this, Looking carefully, lest anyone fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled, lest there be an fornicator, a main person, like Esau, who for one more salt of food sold his birthright.

This teaches us to hold fast to what is truly important, even if it means denying the appetites of the flesh. You may be asking yourself, is the birthright relevant for today? This is an old story from long ago and does not apply to today, but it is absolutely the truth that Christians have a spiritual birthright. Romans 6, 23 says, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Our birthright is not only just realized in heaven, we have a birthright here on earth.

Jesus' death on the cross made it possible for the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and abide within us. I'm Dr. Cheryl Davis asking you to surrender your all so that Christ can do his all in you. Join me on my next broadcast where we examine the reaction of Satan when he sees that you have laid down your life and picked up your cross to follow Jesus. That's next week on Truth Matters, where truth never changes. The cost of following Jesus can come with a heavy price tag for some, but it is a price that is worth paying, considering the price Jesus paid for us. In Mark 10, 29 through 30, Jesus said to his disciples, There is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or land for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more. While the cost of following can be high, the reward of following Jesus is priceless. You can reach Dr. Davis at Cheryl Davis at ProjectTruthMatters.com or connect with her on Facebook at Truth Matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis. This has been a production of The Truth Project.