According to J. C. Ryle: “It costs something to be a real Christian, according to the standard of the Bible. There are enemies to be overcome, battles to be fought, sacrifices to be made, an Egypt to be forsaken, a wilderness to be passed through, a cross to be carried, a race to be run. Conversion is not putting a person in an arm-chair and taking them easily to heaven. It is the beginning of a mighty conflict, in which it costs much to win the victory.”1
Sadly, many Christians when they face their first major trials wonder why following Christ is so difficult. But if these same Christians would just study their Bible they would see that the Christian walk was never intended to be easy. J. C. Ryle in his above quote paints a pretty accurate picture of some of the challenges we all will face as followers of Jesus Christ. But if I may add while trials, pain, and suffering will often accompany those who strive to follow after Christ, the rewards and blessings are simply awesome. Not only that but these blessings can only be obtained by those who are willing to pay the high price of obedience to the call of Jesus.
As Christians we have a choice to make on what we choose to focus our attention on. We can either complain of the trials or overcome them through the promises of God. As an example of what I am talking about let’s read (Matthew 5:11-12): “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
When we share the good news of the gospel, many people will be offended by our message and we can expect to be reviled, persecuted, and even slandered. That’s the trial! But notice the promise – great is our reward in heaven! And when we focus on our reward the natural response should be to rejoice and be exceedingly glad!
Imagine, the Lord has given us the only message that can change a person’s ultimate destination from eternal damnation to eternal life! Yes, there is a cost to share this message. Rejection and persecution will often follow. But there is the potential that some will embrace the message of the cross and be saved.
My friends the Christian walk is not an easy one since our feelings will often get bruised. But being obedient to Christ in our thoughts and actions will always bring immense joy both in the present and in eternity. Yes, the costs to follow Christ are high, but I contend that the benefits are simply out of this world.
I don’t know about you but I choose to spend my time being faithful to the high calling of Jesus Christ. Being faithful to Jesus will bring you great peace, unspeakable joy, rich meaning, and eternal life. And that far outweighs having my feelings temporarily hurt. While Satan wants us to focus on the high cost of following Christ, Jesus tells us to set our affections on things above and meditate and experience the far greater joys of being a Christian!
1 TOP 25 QUOTES BY J. C. RYLE (of 374) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)