---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we are serious about our discipleship…"
description: "\"If we are serious about our discipleship, Jesus will eventually request each of us to do those very things which are most difficult for us to do.\" — Ne..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bea/neal-a-maxwell-925_difficult_if-we-are-serious-about-our-discipleship_2448532.png"
---

#  If we are serious about our discipleship, Jesus will…

![“If we are serious about our discipleship, Jesus will eventually request each of us to do those very things which are most difficult for us to do.” quote by Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bea/neal-a-maxwell-925_difficult_if-we-are-serious-about-our-discipleship_2448532.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bea/neal-a-maxwell-925_difficult_if-we-are-serious-about-our-discipleship_2448532.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bea/neal-a-maxwell-925_difficult_if-we-are-serious-about-our-discipleship_2448532.png)

> “If we are serious about our discipleship, Jesus will eventually request each of us to do those very things which are most difficult for us to do.”

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

True discipleship demands embracing the most challenging tasks Jesus would ask of us.

**In simple terms:** Follow Jesus by doing hard things.

Key Takeaway

Accept difficult spiritual duties.

Themes

faith discipleship challenge

Mood

reflective serious

Type

religious inspirational

When to use this quote

- mission work
- personal sacrifice
- leadership decisions

Key Concepts

obedience spiritual growth service

Questions to Reflect On

- Which difficult task aligns with your calling?
- How can you prepare for spiritual challenges?

A Different Perspective

Not everyone is called to the same hardships.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Discipleship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipleship/) [Discipleship Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipleship-jesus-550097/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Jesus Eventually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus-eventually-550096/) [Request](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/request/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Things Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-difficult-353584/)

## Related quotes

> [But it's true I hadn't realised quite how much the discipleship of Jesus Christ would involve keeping up with email.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-coles/but-it-s-true-i-hadn-t-realised-quite-how-much-the-discipleship-of/)

[Richard Coles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-coles/)

> [“I do not politicize Christianity nor my discipleship as Jesus did not politicize either His divinity nor his humanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-alan-woods/i-do-not-politicize-christianity-nor-my-discipleship-as-jesus-did-not/)

[R. Alan Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-alan-woods/)

> [The dues of discipleship are high indeed, and how much we can take so often determines how much we can then give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/the-dues-of-discipleship-are-high-indeed-and-how-much-we-can-take-so/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [Naive optimism and pervasive pessimism are both to be avoided, therefore. It's not an easy balance to maintain, to be asked to work away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/naive-optimism-and-pervasive-pessimism-are-both-to-be-avoided/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [The more you turn down things, the more difficult it becomes to feel that the next one will be right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-gainsbourg/the-more-you-turn-down-things-the-more-difficult-it-becomes-to-feel/)

[Charlotte Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-gainsbourg/)

> [Dont listen to anyone who tells you that you cant do this or that. Thats nonsense. Make up your mind, youll never use crutches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamsta-e-ngugz/dont-listen-to-anyone-who-tells-you-that-you-cant-do-this-or-that/)

[Jamsta E Ngugz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamsta-e-ngugz/)

> [There are always things I find difficult - being in crowds, remembering faces. I do like routines. I always travel with someone. My life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/there-are-always-things-i-find-difficult-being-in-crowds-remembering/)

[Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/)

> [Throwing things out is one of the most difficult and important things you ever have to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/throwing-things-out-is-one-of-the-most-difficult-and-important-things/)

[Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/)

> [“But that was civilisation, so far as Logen could tell. People with nothing better to do, dreaming up ways to make easy things difficult.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/but-that-was-civilisation-so-far-as-logen-could-tell-people-with/)

[Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/)

> [Profound things are simple. If it is not simple, it cannot be true. But simple things are difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-harding/profound-things-are-simple-if-it-is-not-simple-it-cannot-be-true-but/)

[Douglas Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-harding/)

> [The defenders are just trying to make life more difficult for you and you have to turn it around and make things more difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jozy-altidore/the-defenders-are-just-trying-to-make-life-more-difficult-for-you-and/)

[Jozy Altidore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jozy-altidore/)

> [It’s so hard to communicate because there are so many moving parts. There’s presentation and there’s interpretation and they’re so dependent on each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/it-s-so-hard-to-communicate-because-there-are-so-many-moving-parts/)

[Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/)

> [“Don’t expect good things to come easily, we must work at them. Easy is to think about improving. Difficult is to put these thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-expect-good-things-to-come-easily-we-must-work-at-them-easy-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I think it's my nature to engage in things that are more difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mackaye/i-think-it-s-my-nature-to-engage-in-things-that-are-more-difficult/)

[Ian MacKaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mackaye/)

> [It's not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It's because we dare not venture that they are difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/it-s-not-because-things-are-difficult-that-we-dare-not-venture-it-s/)

[Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/)

## More by Neal A. Maxwell

> [Clearly, when we baptize, our eyes should gaze beyond the baptismal font to the holy temple. The great garner into which the sheaves should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/clearly-when-we-baptize-our-eyes-should-gaze-beyond-the-baptismal/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [We should not assume; however, that just because something is unexplainable by us, it is unexplainable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/we-should-not-assume-however-that-just-because-something-is/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [Naive optimism and pervasive pessimism are both to be avoided, therefore. It's not an easy balance to maintain, to be asked to work away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/naive-optimism-and-pervasive-pessimism-are-both-to-be-avoided/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [Occasionally some individuals let the seeming ordinariness of life dampen their spirits. Though actually coping and growning, others lack the quiet, inner-soul satisfaction that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/occasionally-some-individuals-let-the-seeming-ordinariness-of-life/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [The acceptance of the reality that we are in the Lord's loving hands is only a recognition that we have never really been anywhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/the-acceptance-of-the-reality-that-we-are-in-the-lord-s-loving-hands/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [We can't dwell upon another's ingratitude without using up our time and talents unprofitably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/we-can-t-dwell-upon-another-s-ingratitude-without-using-up-our-time/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [The winds of tribulation, which blow out some men's candles of commitment, only fan the fires of faith of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/the-winds-of-tribulation-which-blow-out-some-men-s-candles-of/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [Power is most safe with those who are not in love with it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/power-is-most-safe-with-those-who-are-not-in-love-with-it/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [Ultimate hope constitutes the anchor of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/ultimate-hope-constitutes-the-anchor-of-the-soul/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [Frequently, we busily search for group service projects, which are surely needed and commendable, when quiet, personal service is also urgently needed. Sometimes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/frequently-we-busily-search-for-group-service-projects-which-are/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [The cumulative weight of all mortal sins--past, present, and future--pressed upon that perfect, sinless, and sensitive Soul! All our infirmities and sicknesses were somehow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/the-cumulative-weight-of-all-mortal-sins-past-present-and-future/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [“When we feel so alone, we cannot presume to teach him who, at the apogee of his agony, trod “the winepress alone” anything about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/when-we-feel-so-alone-we-cannot-presume-to-teach-him-who-at-the/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [How myopic it is to view His ministry as all crucifixion and no resurrection!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/how-myopic-it-is-to-view-his-ministry-as-all-crucifixion-and-no/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [Patience stoutly resists pulling up the daisies to see how the roots are doing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/patience-stoutly-resists-pulling-up-the-daisies-to-see-how-the-roots/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [Our little pebble of poor performance helps to start, or to sustain, an avalanche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/our-little-pebble-of-poor-performance-helps-to-start-or-to-sustain-an/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

[Explore all 328 Neal A. Maxwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

## More Difficult quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [Consumers can choose organic cotton grown without pesticides, but it uses more water and requires more land than conventional crops. Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/)

[Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/)

> [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/)

[Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/)

> [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/)

[Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/)

> [It's only a little difficult to say no. You've got to believe that the work you're doing is ultimately more useful to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/it-s-only-a-little-difficult-to-say-no-you-ve-got-to-believe-that-the/)

[Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/)

> [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/)

[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/)

> [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/)

[Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/)

> [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/)

[Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/)

> [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/)

[Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/)

> [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/)

[Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/)

> [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/)

[Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/)

> [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/)

[Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/)

> [Someone else who liked what I did might turn around and say, "She's reworking and rethinking everything. She could just be making blankets now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/someone-else-who-liked-what-i-did-might-turn-around-and-say-she-s/)

[Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/)

[Browse all 13,132 Difficult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If we are serious about our discipleship, Jesus will eventually request each of us to do those very things which are most difficult for us to do.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Neal A. Maxwell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/if-we-are-serious-about-our-discipleship-jesus-will-eventually/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Difficult"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/if-we-are-serious-about-our-discipleship-jesus-will-eventually/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bea/neal-a-maxwell-925_difficult_if-we-are-serious-about-our-discipleship_2448532.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bea/neal-a-maxwell-925_difficult_if-we-are-serious-about-our-discipleship_2448532.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bea/neal-a-maxwell-925_difficult_if-we-are-serious-about-our-discipleship_2448532.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If we are serious about our discipleship, Jesus will eventually request each of us to do those very things…” — Neal A. Maxwell",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Neal A. Maxwell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If we are serious about our...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/if-we-are-serious-about-our-discipleship-jesus-will-eventually/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/if-we-are-serious-about-our-discipleship-jesus-will-eventually/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
