Just Give Up

Some people spend their whole lives trying to figure out what they want to be. But I already know what I wanna be. Do you have a guess? If you know me a little, you might say a teacher. If you know me a lot, you might say a missionary. And yes, I want to do both of those things to some extent. But there’s a better answer.

I wanna be a slave.

Bet you weren’t expecting that.

Here’s the thing: Our futures are not just about a choice. They’re about a calling. And the call to be a slave is not just mine. It’s also yours.

Wait a second; that can’t be right.

It’s not what they tell you in school. Studying and working hard means success which means we can live life our own way.

It’s not what they tell you in the media. We have to do what’s best for ourselves and what makes us happy.

It’s not what they tell you in church. Jesus came to give us abundant life.

But whose definition of abundance are we going by?

Do we honestly think that we can have the abundance Christ offers without following the means by which He says we attain it? Because in the very same passage where Jesus offers abundant life for His sheep, He says that they “follow Him because they know His voice”(John 10:4). Do we know His voice? Or are we following a cut and pasted version of Jesus that lets us live our own way as long as we mark our religion on facebook as “Follower of Christ” and ask God to show us what that looks like.

Now don’t get me wrong. Both of those are great things! But what good is calling ourselves followers of Christ if we don’t actually do it? And what good is asking God how to follow Christ if we don’t listen to His answer? I’d say it’s neither fit for the soil nor the manure pile.

This begs an important question. What does Jesus actually say about following Him? It’s basically a prayer we have to say, right? As long as we actually believe it when we pray it, we’re good to go. And if we read our Bible and pray a little, it’s even better.

Wait…did Jesus say that to you? Because I’m pretty sure that’s not what He said to me. I thought it was. For a long time, actually. Maybe 19 years or so. Even more like twenty.

But I was confused. Because I recently heard what Jesus really said, and it was a little bit different. Okay, a lot different. Here’s what He said:

“Anyone who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33


“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23


“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62


“Go sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Mark 10:21

Of course, Jesus doesn’t actually mean for us to give up everything, to come and die…does He?

I could tell you that He doesn’t. That it’s a metaphor. That it was a message meant for people of the past. That it’s only for really radical Christians who God has “called” to live that way. But that, my friend, would be LYING.

During one of Jesus’ most famous acts of service, He made His will for us clear. “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15), and I have a feeling He wasn’t just talking about feet washing here.

We can try making excuses. After all, no one actually carries their crosses. It’s basically impossible. Why don’t we just read the passages with lots of conviction and move on.

The funny thing about that, though, is that God shows us plenty of people who actually listened when Jesus called them to come and die. And it’s interesting that they are the ones whose stories ended up in the everlasting Word of God.

Paul, author of much of the New Testament, yet admittedly the worst of sinners (1 Tim 1:16), says, “I die daily…” (1 Cor 15:31). And Peter, James, John, Timothy, and Jude all introduce themselves, not as “Followers of Christ”, but as slaves, doulos in the original language. So if these guys took Jesus seriously, why don’t we?

Probably because we don’t want to be slaves. We think of slavery, and we think chains and whips and miserable, terrible lives. Doesn’t sound very abundant…

A slave of Jesus, though, a bondslave, a doulos, is different. It’s the slave of Exodus 21:6. It’s the slave that declares, “I love my master…and do not want to go free.” It’s the slave that chooses to drive an awl through his ear and become a slave FOR LIFE. It’s a big deal! In this decision, he surrenders his work, his possessions, and even his very identity to his master. And he does it for love.

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus calls us to take up His yoke. We submit to His authority and the work He has for us. It’s slavery! But He promises that the yoke is easy and the burden is light. It’s different than any kind of slavery the world has ever known.

The dying part is in here too. We can’t carry Jesus’ yoke AND our own. We have to take off our burden to carry His. We can’t say, “Jesus, I want to do Your will” until we give up ours. He offers the yoke that will bring rest for our souls, but we have to take it. And before that, we have to surrender.

It’s hard! That’s why Jesus says we should count the cost before we choose to follow (Luke 14:28-33). If we wanna follow Jesus, we have to give up everything. And we can’t look back.

In a nutshell, that’s what I’m learning these days. Surrendering my will and dying to myself is a battle that I have to fight every single day. But I know it’s possible. Because Jesus “has given me strength to do His work,” (1 Tim 1:12 NLT) and “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength” (Phil 4:13). God equips us to lay down our lives and take up His yoke.  And that's where we discover what it means to have abundant life.

It’s all so backwards from what the world thinks. It’s death that’s actually life. It’s slavery that’s actually freedom. And while the world says, “Never give up,” Jesus says, “Give up EVERYTHING.”

This song fits perfectly with this post and my blog in general :)