What’s Your Sell-Out Price?
I was challenged with this question myself several weeks ago by our pastor during a Sunday morning message. It stopped me in my tracks, and made me completely reevaluate my own heart condition and where I stand in my faith, if I’m willing to truly “sell out” for Jesus!
In the recent national events regarding the life of Charlie Kirk, we have all borne witness of the testimony of a young man who was totally and completely SOLD OUT for Christ, paying the ultimate sacrifice for living a life dedicated to Him and His Kingdom. This modern-day martyr of the faith is a beautiful and compelling picture of what it means in the life of a believer to put it all on the line and live fully in obedience to Christ.
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” — Matthew 6:24 (ESV)
When the Cost Feels Too High
There’s a story in Scripture that many of us know well — the moment when a wealthy young man approached Jesus, eager and sincere. He had questions, good ones. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17).
He was moral, disciplined, and outwardly devoted. He’d kept the commandments since his youth, and Scripture even tells us that Jesus looked at him and loved him (v.21). Yet when Jesus asked him to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him — the man’s face fell. He walked away sorrowful, not because Jesus was harsh, but because the cost of obedience clashed with his attachment to comfort.
This is where our own stories often intersect his.
We love Jesus. We want to follow Him. But somewhere in the quiet corners of our hearts, there are things we’re not sure we’re ready to lay down. Things we cling to — perhaps not physical wealth, but desires, habits, or affections that quietly whisper, “Don’t let go.”
So the question must be asked: What’s your sell-out price?
When Devotion Divides
Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:24 pierce with sobering clarity: “No one can serve two masters.” That’s not a suggestion. It’s a reality statement. Divided devotion doesn’t work in the Kingdom of God.
You can’t serve both Christ and comfort.
You can’t serve both holiness and popularity.
You can’t serve both the Savior and self.
We try, of course. We juggle. We justify. We tell ourselves that our modern lives simply require compromise. But the truth Jesus offers isn’t meant to be adjusted — it’s meant to reorder our loves. He doesn’t compete for our attention; He claims it. And He can claim it because He alone is worthy. The sovereignty of God reminds us that Christ doesn’t need our partial obedience or our distracted allegiance. He calls for total surrender — not because He is needy, but because He is Lord.
The Illusion of “Just Enough” Christianity
The rich young ruler wasn’t a villain. He was a lot like many of us — moral, responsible, probably admired in his community. But Jesus exposed the heart behind his goodness. The young man wanted salvation on his own terms. He wanted to add Jesus to his portfolio, not hand the keys over entirely.
We do this when we treat discipleship like a side project. We read Scripture when it fits our schedule. We serve when it aligns with our comfort zone. We give when it doesn’t pinch our budget.
And yet, the gospel calls us beyond a life of “just enough.”
God doesn’t want our fragments; He wants the whole. The sovereign call of Christ is not to blend our faith with the world’s systems, but to abandon every illusion that we can serve both. The same Jesus who loved the young ruler is the same Jesus who looks at us today, asking, “Will you follow Me when it costs you everything?”
The Subtle Sell-Outs of Modern Faith
For some, the “sell-out price” might be obvious — money, ambition, or approval. But often, it’s more subtle than that.
It might be comfort, when obedience feels inconvenient.
It might be control, when surrender feels too risky.
It might be comparison, when our eyes drift from the Giver to what others seem to have.
Or it might be fear, when following Christ threatens our reputation, relationships, or plans.
What’s dangerous about these distractions is that they rarely feel sinful. They often feel reasonable. But they pull our affections little by little, until our zeal fades into lukewarm compromise. The enemy doesn’t need you to renounce Jesus outright. He just needs to make you busy enough, distracted enough, or self-sufficient enough that your dependence on Christ becomes optional.
The Freedom in Costly Obedience
Here’s the paradox of the Kingdom: the more you surrender, the more you gain. When Jesus asked the rich young ruler to give everything up, He wasn’t taking something from him — He was inviting him to freedom. But the young man couldn’t see past the immediate cost. He missed the eternal exchange.
In Luke 14:33, Jesus says, “Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
This isn’t legalism. It’s liberation.
When we loosen our grip on what we think sustains us — money, control, approval — we discover the unshakable security of being held by Christ alone. Obedience always feels costly at first, but it leads to joy that cannot be purchased by the world. And because God is sovereign, every surrender is safe. He wastes nothing you give Him. Every “yes” you offer in faith is multiplied in grace.
Learning from the One Who Never Sold Out
If anyone could have claimed a right to comfort, it was Jesus. Yet Philippians 2:6–8 tells us that He “emptied Himself” and “became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” He didn’t just teach costly obedience — He modeled it.
The Son of God had no sell-out price. No temptation, no human praise, no earthly gain could turn His heart from the will of His Father. And that’s the life He calls us into — not one of fear-driven perfectionism, but one of Spirit-empowered devotion. Our obedience is possible only because His was perfect. When we fix our eyes on Him, the things of this world lose their luster. Our idols begin to crumble under the weight of His glory.
Taking Inventory: Who Really Owns Your Heart?
Maybe it’s time to pause and ask some hard questions — not out of guilt, but out of a desire to live fully alive to Christ.
What do I hesitate to surrender when Jesus calls?
What comforts or desires have quietly taken first place in my heart?
Have I mistaken busyness for fruitfulness, or success for faithfulness?
Do I follow Christ because He’s convenient, or because He’s worthy?
The truth is, we all have sell-out points that need to be crucified daily. That’s why Jesus says in Luke 9:23, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” The daily cross is not a punishment — it’s the pathway to peace. It’s where we learn that obedience, though costly, is far lighter than the burden of divided devotion.
A Call to Undivided Love
Imagine if the rich young ruler had said yes. Imagine the testimony that could have been written of his life — the impact, the freedom, the joy. But instead, Scripture records a man who walked away sad. The love of his possessions chained him to this world’s fleeting security.
Believer, don’t walk away sad.
Christ’s invitation to follow Him fully is still open. The sovereign Lord of the universe calls you not to manage your faith, but to live consumed by it. To let your affection for Him outweigh every lesser love. Whatever your “price” has been — the thing that tempts you to trade obedience for comfort — bring it to the cross. There, grace meets surrender, and the fire of devotion is rekindled.
Reflective Challenge
Take time today to be still before the Lord. Ask Him to search your heart for any divided affections. Write them down if you must. Confess them honestly. Then ask Him for the courage to let them go. Because there is no safer place to be than fully surrendered to a sovereign God.
If you’re ready to dive deeper into this, and look more closely at living a life of obedience to Christ, grab your copy of “Though None Go With Me”.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You alone are worthy of my whole heart. Forgive me for the times I have tried to serve two masters — clinging to comfort, success, or self instead of resting in Your sufficiency. Teach me to love You above all else. Reveal the hidden idols I have excused, and give me the grace to lay them down. Help me to follow You with undivided devotion, trusting that whatever You ask me to surrender is never truly lost in Your hands. Set my heart on fire again — not for the things of this world, but for the glory of Your Name.Amen.
Final Thoughts
The question “What’s your sell-out price?” isn’t meant to shame — it’s meant to free. When Christ is your treasure, everything else finds its rightful place. Let your life be a living declaration that no comfort, no fear, no idol is worth more than His presence. Because in the end, the only One worth selling out for is Jesus Himself.
