janbear
02-23-2009, 10:08 AM
Counting the Cost - The High Price of Commitment
"If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me."
Mark 8:34, Holman Christian Standard Bible
Being a Christian means everything. Everything you are, everything you have. That's why the most miserable people in the world are Christians who aren't willing to take it all the way.
To them, church is uncomfortable, because it keeps confronting them with their sins. Sin is uncomfortable, because the Spirit's taken all the guiltless fun out of it. Relationships are uncomfortable, because being a Christian in one place and a heathen in another makes life hard to keep up with. The call of God stirs their heart, but the call of the world purrs even louder. So with feet in two worlds, they know only the worst of each--the empty promises of sin and the nagging pain of an awakened conscience.
Wow. And they thought God's ways were hard.
The road to the good life is narrow. And pretty steep in a lot of places. But the view is breathtaking--the experiences, unforgettable. And those who choose to walk it find everything their heart desires.
Everything.
This Week's Look-Up Verse
Mark 8:34-38
Lifeway.com
"If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me."
Mark 8:34, Holman Christian Standard Bible
Being a Christian means everything. Everything you are, everything you have. That's why the most miserable people in the world are Christians who aren't willing to take it all the way.
To them, church is uncomfortable, because it keeps confronting them with their sins. Sin is uncomfortable, because the Spirit's taken all the guiltless fun out of it. Relationships are uncomfortable, because being a Christian in one place and a heathen in another makes life hard to keep up with. The call of God stirs their heart, but the call of the world purrs even louder. So with feet in two worlds, they know only the worst of each--the empty promises of sin and the nagging pain of an awakened conscience.
Wow. And they thought God's ways were hard.
The road to the good life is narrow. And pretty steep in a lot of places. But the view is breathtaking--the experiences, unforgettable. And those who choose to walk it find everything their heart desires.
Everything.
This Week's Look-Up Verse
Mark 8:34-38
Lifeway.com