The pathway to greatness in every area of life, for almost all of humanity, is climbing, pushing, grabbing, achieving, and pressing for success. And at the end of it all is a never-ending desire for more, an elusive target.

I want to know if there is more! We all want to know if there is more.

When we apply for a job, we usually want certain questions answered…

• What is the pay?
• What are the benefits?
• Is there a pension?
• How much vacation?
• Can I achieve promotions?

In other words we want to know, “What’s in it for me?,” which seems like a bad question. But it’s not. It’s actually the RIGHT question, even when it comes to following Jesus.

Jesus invites anyone and everyone to become a disciple, a follower of Himself. But He doesn’t sell us a benefits package. He tells us honestly what it means to follow Him…

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. - Matthew 16:24 (NIV)

So asking Jesus, “what’s in it for me?,” isn’t a bad thing, but you may or may not like the answer. A lot of people didn’t like the answer when Jesus first gave it, and plenty don’t like it today. His answer was simply, “a cross.” Want to follow Jesus? There are benefits, and they’re eternal in nature. They blow out of the water anything that any job you’ve ever had offered. But… they come with self-denial, a cross, and fully following Jesus no matter what.

If the cross is what I get, is Jesus any less worthy of following?