I look at most of the people who call themselves Christians (including me) and I immediately have a question. What is this Jesus that we claim to love and serve so much actually worth to us? How much are we willing to sacrifice to follow Him?
For the most part, Christianity is a facebook status. Born again means being politically conservative. Faith for the most part is hypothetical and theoretical, but hardly ever lived out.
If I am all about Jesus on Sunday, but all about me on Monday, what does that say about how much I love Jesus? We may not think so, but the chasm between the way we speak and the way we live speaks volumes and people are listening.
So many times, we look at sin as a line not to cross. We are so obsessed with how close to the line we can get without actually going over. The famous example is always how far a couple can go when dating but not actually have sex. Or how much can we drink without getting drunk and it still be acceptable?
At the same time, we look at Jesus and ask, “What is the minimal effort I need to have a relationship with Jesus? How much do I need to read my Bible to be able to mark that off the checklist and how much do I have to pray for that to count in my favor?”
That outlook betrays where our hearts are. It shows that we love sin more than we love Jesus. If we loved Jesus more, we would see how far we could stay from the line of sin and how much we could do to be more like Jesus and know Him more.
There’s good news in this. God won’t ever abandon or forsake His people, whether their passionately seeking Him or straddling the line of sin. The best answer is this: give up. Quit trying to fix yourself and manage your sin and make yourself better. You can’t. Only God can.
If you see only your own sin and failure, you’ll be tempted to give up. But if you see how good and faithful God has been and keep your eyes on that (and Him), you will be encouraged and strengthened.
But you can’t play both sides anymore. It’s either following what society and culture and the media and the masses say, or following what Jesus says. You can’t follow both.
As for me and my house, I will follow Jesus, only by His help and the support of His people. We do need each other.
So how much is Jesus worth to me? Maybe not what He should be worth to me, but more than He was to me yesterday. Definitely more than a month ago, or a year ago. And that’s the important part.
Ragamuffingospelfan's Blog 
I too am an Elect Christian. After years of living for me and endiing up nowhere and in crazy land. I was diagnosed bipolar1 2009 with PTSD 2010. Once I repented and gave my life to the Lord, things became a rapid change for me. I look forward everyday to what God will bless me with today. I am in a position to give back to others as a Peer Support Specialist in the mental health field. I became pretty much stable after a few months on meds. Who would have thought that someone attempting suicide in July of 2010 could come so far. The Lord did and brought me out of a dying situation. Thanks for God’s words on your blog. I totally believe as you do. I have met three Christians already at our opportunity center here. I hear people’s comments sometimes about what they believe, which means they are not accepting and are listening though. So maybe they are Elect but, not called yet, we can’t know. I would hope so. Of course we know, wide is the gate to distruction and many will go there. Why they can’t see that. The are blinded from the beginning, blinded now, maybe not chosen. To bad it is not so simple to just say I’m done I can’t do this life anymore for me. I just look at people sometimes when they say something against being a Christian and I say Oh well, God tried. It does give me grief though when I know I am or we are not getting through to them. Your fellow sister in the Lord Jesus.