Truly Devoted or Standing on the Sidelines?

Something that seems to be popping up in my life lately are people who seem to think that God is something we can bend and mold to fit our lives. A quote by Francis Chan comes to mind,

"He wants all or nothing. The thought of a person calling himself a 'Christian' without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd."

The sacrifice that Jesus gave for our sins was death. The idea that we don't want to change our lives to glorify Him seems so narcissistic. We can't obtain salvation through our own acts, and personally I can't imagine anything that would bring more joy than living to exalt our personal Savior.

Jesus talks about the cost of being a disciple in Luke 14:25-35. One of the verses that spoke to me was Luke 14:27,

"And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple."

Christ doesn't call us to just stand on the sidelines and cheer Him on.  He asks us to pick up our own cross and follow.