Following Jesus is Hard

Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” is one of his best known sermons. Found in the beginning of Matthew’s gospel, this sermon outlines for Jesus’ new followers what it means to be disciples. Spoiler alert—it’s going to be harder than they think! 

Journey is headed—to crucifixion, death and resurrection. Here at the beginning, everything is still new and exciting. But, it won’t always be that way. So, Jesus sits everyone down and preaches about who he is, who God is and who God is calling us to be in the world.

Following Jesus is hard. If it’s not, then you might want to ask yourself who you are actually following. Following Jesus means getting outside of our comfort zone to love those we cannot stand, serve those from whom we would rather look away and shape our priorities in ways that are counter to the culture around us. It means being different, which is both a blessing and a challenge at times.

If you have a few minutes this week, I encourage you to sit down and read the whole Sermon on the Mount. You can find it in Matthew 5-7. Spend some time listening to what God is saying to you through these words. One of the wonderful and challenging things about Jesus’ words is that they are just as applicable to us today as they were to his first followers. Anger, love for enemies, the discipline of prayer, struggling with worry, judging others—these are all themes you will find in Jesus’ sermon and, if you are anything like me, will find are things you struggle with today.

Following Jesus is hard, but it is also the most transformational thing we can do—not only for ourselves, but also for our world.