The Cost of Following: When Obedience Costs More Than We Want to Pay

"…and they hear what you say but they will not do it…for their heart is set on their own gain." — Ezekiel 33:31 (ESV)

Obedience is hard. Plenty of people are interested in Jesus — they show up, listen, and even raise a hand in worship — but few turn that interest into a habit of actually obeying Him. Ezekiel was preaching to a crowd just like that. They came, listened, and even praised the message. But when it was time to walk it out, their feet stayed planted because their hearts were already directed elsewhere.

Ezekiel identifies the culprit: their heart is set on their own gain. Covetousness — the quiet love of more — is one of the leading causes of disobedience, and it's destructive precisely because it's hidden. It doesn't announce itself as rebellion. Instead, it disguises itself as ambition, security, comfort, or "providing for my family." Over time, it slowly eats the love of God out of the heart and replaces it with the love of self.

I arrived at Ezekiel 33:31 by way of Mark 8:34, where Jesus says, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." I reached Mark 8:34 via the story of the Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10, who walked away from Jesus sorrowful because he had great possessions that he wasn't willing to part with. Three passages, one theme: obedience has a price tag, and covetousness is what makes us flinch when the bill comes due.

Picture the rich ruler. Jesus looks at him, loves him, and asks him to let go of the one thing he is holding tighter than God. What would it feel like to have Jesus say those words to you — about your bank account, your career, your reputation, your plans? Would you do it?

Now picture Peter in the courtyard the night Jesus was arrested. Three times he is asked if he knows Jesus, and three times he denies the Lord he had promised to die for. If your safety, comfort, or reputation were on the line, would you stand? Or would doubt creep in and whisper, "If Jesus were really Lord, surely it wouldn't cost this much"?

These aren't hypothetical questions. They are diagnostic. Because the truth is that what we obey reveals what we truly love. Hearing is simple. Obeying is the proof.

Big Idea

Obedience shows our faith. What you do with Jesus' words reveals where your heart truly is.

Questions to Ponder

Are there specific areas in your life right now where you know what God is asking but you're choosing not to obey? What are you longing for — possessions, status, comfort, control — that makes obedience seem too costly? If Jesus approached you today and asked you to relinquish the one thing you're holding onto the tightest, how would you respond? Sit with that one.

Application

Denying yourself doesn't usually start with the dramatic — it starts small and specific. Pick one area where you sense the Lord pressing in this week. Maybe it's a financial decision you've been avoiding because it would cost you comfort. Maybe it's a relationship where obedience means a hard conversation. Maybe it's an hour of your morning given back to Him instead of to your phone, your work, or your hobbies. Whatever it is, name it, write it down, and take one concrete step of obedience in that area before the week is over. Don't wait to feel ready — obedience rarely feels convenient. Take the step, and let God meet you there.

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Before the Lord — a daily devotional by Blake S. Crawford. Read more and subscribe free at blakescrawford.com/before-the-lord.