Luke 12:35  Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning.

The preponderance of Christians are in the receiving line. After all, Christianity isn't something we do, not at its heart, but what God does, for us, in Christ Jesus. A disciple, nonetheless, is someone who has moved to the serving end of the table. Disciples are Christians who have gone to work, and sometimes at considerable cost and no small effort.

In discipleship we do not enter upon a broad and comfortable way. As often as not the road is narrow and full of demanding potholes, and sometimes it calls for painful privations. Discipleship doesn't simplify life or make it easier. In fact, if you are the kind who is inordinately concerned about a dichondra lawn, an arbored patio, or just a roof over your head, discipleship may not be your cup of tea. Disciples are guaranteed no minimum wage and offered no fringe benefits. I'm not just making this up. Jesus said it; He said it again and again, knowing, I suppose, we really wouldn't believe it at first: "Foxes have holes (so if the safety of that appeals to you, be a fox) and birds of the air have nests (be a bird, if protection is that high on your list of priorities), but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head" (Matthew 8:20). Follow Jesus, be His disciple, and you can pretty well count on some sleepless nights.

We like to think of our Christian faith in terms of its comfort and peace and all the things it freely gives us. All that is true. But so is this: There is what someone has called "the stormy north side of Christ." To follow Christ, where He leads, to be His disciple, entails some sacrifice on your part, too.
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