The Three C’s
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If you truly want to follow Me, you should at once completely reject and disown your own life. And you must be willing to share My cross and experience it as your own, as you continually surrender to My ways. For if you choose self-sacrifice and lose your lives for My glory, you will continually discover true life. But if you choose to keep your lives for yourselves, you will forfeit what you try to keep.” Matthew 16:24-25
Insight
This devotion is long overdue. Several months ago, God impressed a message onto my heart. So why has it taken me so much time to write it down? If I am honest, I feel like the last person who should be communicating this idea. I have a (very) difficult time applying this lesson to my life. So if it feels challenging to you, you are not alone.
God has been teaching me that following in His Way and serving His people requires me to sacrifice the three C’s: comfort, convenience, and control.
Society tells us that success and fulfillment are found when we maximize the three C’s. The world tells us that once we are financially and physically comfortable, we will be happy. If we possess gadgets and gizmos that make daily tasks convenient, we can be content. We can live “the good life,” if only things are under our control. However, no matter how much we clamor for comfort, control, and convenience, we are always left wanting more.
The Truth is paradoxical. It is through self-sacrifice that we find true life. Letting go of our desires is the path to satisfaction. Fulfillment is found when we bow down in total surrender to Jesus. When we lose our life for the sake of His Name and His people, we find everlasting contentment.
Leveraging our time to serve others is often inconvenient. Oftentimes, it is difficult to slow down and sacrifice our plans in order to be present for others. It can feel easier to donate our money or give a kind word than to give our time and full attention to others. However, Jesus calls us to forsake convenience to make His love known.
Drawing near to people who are different from us and seeking to understand their experiences is uncomfortable. Growing our relationships with people of other races, political opinions, and socioeconomic statuses can feel uneasy. Going out of our way to converse with a stranger or give a compliment can feel horribly awkward. However, Jesus calls us to forsake our comfort to love our brothers and sisters well.
Trusting Him with our finances, relationships, and future plans requires us to give up our sense of control. It takes immense strength to let go of our way and proclaim: “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
Here’s the hard truth: walking with Jesus is difficult. It is gritty and messy. It is work. It forces us to let go of our preferences, step into unfamiliar territory, and embrace distress. God asks us to do challenging things, not because He likes to see us squirm, but because He wants us to experience true life. He wants to see us thrive. He knows that we will be most satisfied and fulfilled when we live to bring glory to His Name and serve others with sincere hearts.
Jesus went to the cross for our freedom. It would’ve been far more convenient for Him to conquer sin at the snap of His fingers. Jesus could’ve safeguarded his comfort and come to earth in the form of an invincible, wealthy, earthly king. Yet, He chose to humble Himself and become obedient to death—even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8)! He gladly let go of control and laid down His life, surrendering to His Father’s will. We are called to follow His example and lose our lives to love Him and our neighbors.
Reflection
In what ways is God calling you to sacrifice your comfort, convenience, and control? What is holding you back from surrendering to Him?
Prayer
Father God, thank you for gladly enduring discomfort and inconvenience to save my soul. Thank You for giving all of Yourself in order to redeem Your beloved creation. Thank you for calling me to follow Your example and love those around me, even when it costs me. Would you give me a willing heart that is ready to surrender my way for Yours? Would you give me the discipline to embrace unease and distress for Your glory and the good of Your people? Father, help me to depend on You as I let go of my will. Remind me that You don’t expect perfection from me. You just want my heart. Thank You. I love You. Amen.
Port City writer Kate Redenbaugh wrote today’s devotional.