The Cost of Discipleship

CS Lewis, in "Mere Christianity," reminds us that following Jesus isn't about doing a certain amount of good, or avoiding a certain amount of bad.  If we are settle for holding something back from Christ, we will either give up trying to be good, or we'll just become very unhappy people.

Christ says, "Give me All.  I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You.  I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it.  No half-measures are any good.  I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there.  I want to have the whole tree down. . . .  Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked -- the whole outfit.  I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.  (from "Mere Christianity," Book IV, Chapter 8)

We must understand that our lives are not our own.  We were bought at a price, and a life of discipleship means to give our lives away, for the sake of Christ's Kingdom.