The cost of discipleship cuts right to the core of our beings, it lays bare the very structures of kinship. Baptism recreates us as children of God; through it we are given a new life and born into a new family. The bonds of discipleship are now even stronger than the bonds of blood. Discipleship requires our very lives. As disciples we can no longer put ourselves first. We must be willing to spend ourselves and to be spent, to serve others in the day to day unfolding of life. We may find such commitment very demanding, but that is part of the cost of discipleship. God promises that if we lose our lives in this way, we will really gain them. If we are unselfish in the way we share ourselves with others, we will be enriched through our generosity. If we spend ourselves and are spent in our service of others we will be filled with blessings unimaginable.