In Luke 13, Jesus tells a story about a fig tree that looked great on the outside but had no fruit. The gardener wanted to cut it down, but Jesus said, “Give it one more year.” It’s a picture of mercy, but also a warning.
We can look like we’re thriving, serving, attending, posting the right verses, but still not produce the fruit He’s looking for.
Fruit doesn’t come from trying harder. It’s not “the fruit of effort.” It’s the fruit of the Spirit. It shows up when we choose to walk with Him, not when we try to perform for Him. When we’re really walking by the Spirit, peace shows up when it shouldn’t.
Joy sticks around even when life doesn’t make sense. That’s how you know it’s real fruit because it lasts.
Later in Luke 13, someone asks Jesus if only a few people will be saved. His response? “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom.” Not because salvation is about earning it, but because we constantly want to complicate it.
It’s hard work to keep it simple. It’s hard to keep your eyes only on Jesus when everything around you screams for attention. The narrow gate is narrow because there’s no room for “Jesus plus my effort.” It’s just Jesus. That’s what makes it hard, and that’s what makes it beautiful.
In Luke 14, Jesus looks at a huge crowd following Him and says something that would clear out any modern church:
“If you want to be my disciple, you must by comparison hate everyone else your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters yes, even your own life.”
He wasn’t telling them to despise people; He was saying, “You can’t follow Me halfway.” You have to count the cost. He used examples like a builder calculating expenses or a king planning for war to show that following Him means surrendering everything.
We love to make following Jesus sound easy and appealing, but He didn’t. He said, “Count the cost before you say yes.” He’s not after half-hearted followers. He’s after disciples who understand that everything they have belongs to Him.
Money has always been one of God’s favorite “faith tests.” It’s a small thing that reveals a big truth: whether He really has our hearts.
I’ve been through more money tests than I can count. There was a time when I was so good at budgeting that I threw a fit in a restaurant because sour cream cost an extra dollar.
None of it was about the money. It was about obedience. God wanted to see if I would follow His voice when it didn’t make sense. Each test got bigger, and each time I learned that being a “good steward” isn’t about saving, it’s about multiplying what He’s given you for His Kingdom.
Following Jesus means giving up more than your money; it means surrendering your wisdom, your pride, your image, even your comfort. It’s easy to say, “Lord, you can have my past,” but He also wants the things we hold tight: our plans, control, and security.
As one of our team members said after this message, “Lord, you can take that.” The anger, the addiction, the road rage, the fear. He can take all of it. Surrender isn’t just about losing something. It’s about gaining freedom.
Jesus doesn’t ask for everything to make your life miserable. He asks for everything so He can give you something better. Every time I’ve finally said yes to what He asked, I’ve looked back and thought, Why did I ever hesitate?
The cost of discipleship is high. But the return is even higher. You lose your life and find real life. You give up everything and gain more than you could ever imagine.
