The Cost of Non-Discipleship

Let’s be honest, following Jesus will cost you. It will cost your comfort. It will stretch your heart. It will confront your pride and challenge your desire for control. Sometimes, it feels like dying, because in many ways, it is. Jesus said clearly in Luke 9:23, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

The spiritual life is difficult. It demands intention. It requires surrender. And it asks for sacrifice.

Discipleship often doesn’t look radical or extraordinary—it looks like small, faithful choices made over and over again. It looks like making time for God in a schedule that already feels overflowing. It’s showing up to church even when you're tired, and you wonder if anyone would notice if you weren’t there. It’s serving quietly behind the scenes, without applause or recognition. It’s choosing obedience when comfort is calling. It’s extending forgiveness while the wound is still fresh. It’s trusting God when the path ahead doesn’t make sense. It’s giving generously, even when it would feel safer to hold on. It’s lifting your hands in worship when your heart feels heavy. It’s whispering prayers in the silence, even when heaven feels distant.

And yet, here’s what we often forget: life is hard—with or without God. But life without Jesus? That’s not just hard. It’s empty. It’s exhausting. It’s almost unbearable.

Can you imagine?
Suffering without hope.
Pain without purpose.
A noisy mind that never finds rest.
The exhausting chase for validation.
A soul that never settles.
A life without a steady anchor.
A heart without a Shepherd to lead it home.

That’s not freedom. That’s survival. That’s despair, disguised.

The truth is, not following Jesus will cost you even more. It’s a quieter kind of loss, one that creeps in slowly. You may not notice it straight away, but over time it steals what matters most. It leaves you restless, even when you’re still. Burnt out, even when you're achieving. Lonely, even in a room full of people. Anxious, even when things seem fine on the surface.

It disconnects you from who you really are and what you were made for.

Without Jesus, we’re left carrying the full weight of our lives alone. And that weight is too heavy for any of us. It breaks us down from the inside out. It leads us into striving without satisfaction. Performing without peace. Living without purpose.

John 10:10 reminds us that “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; but I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” That kind of life, real life, doesn’t come from chasing comfort or self-protection. It comes from knowing the One who made you, loves you, and walks with you.

Jesus doesn’t offer an easy life. But He offers Himself.

He is the Good Shepherd who leads us, carries us, restores us. And even in the hardest moments, He is our peace. When we follow Him, we trade our exhaustion for grace, our guilt for forgiveness, and our fear for the steady presence of a God who never leaves.

As John Mark Comer wisely says, “The cost of discipleship is high. But the cost of non-discipleship is far higher.” We don’t always talk about that part. But we should. Because if we don’t count the cost of not following Jesus, we risk building a life that looks full on the outside but is fractured within.

So instead of just asking, “Is following Jesus hard?” maybe we need to start asking,“What does it cost me not to follow Him?”

Because when we weigh it honestly, there is no comparison. He offers rest for your weary heart. Stillness for your overthinking mind. Healing for your shame. Grace for your guilt. And hope when the world feels hopeless.

If you’re reading this and feeling the weight of it all, please don’t quit in the middle. God sees your quiet obedience. He sees the little yeses that feel invisible. He sees the pain of surrender and the ache of waiting. And He is working, even in the silence. Even in the struggle.

Galatians 6:9 reminds us, “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Following Jesus will cost you. But not following Him will cost you even more. The exchange isn’t easy. But it is good. And in the end, He is worth every step.

Disclaimer: This article reflects my personal Christian faith and worldview. It is shared to encourage reflection and is not intended to impose beliefs, or serve as professional psychological advice. I respect that each reader may hold different beliefs and invite you to engage with the content in a way that honours your own values.