There’s a reason why Jesus says we need to count the cost before following Him. The more we seem to share His Good News and love with the world, the more hatred it seems to evoke from those who don’t know Him. Being a Christian is certainly not a walk in the park, but I can’t imagine going through life any other way.
The anger and hatred that people have towards Christians and their faith isn’t anything new, but it’s certainly still real today. Why is it that the world hates God so much? Well. the answer is simple… this world is the domain in which Satan is roaming around, filling hearts with lies and anger about God and His church. He is out to cause as much division as he possibly can, while he still can. His main focus is on the family structure and the church. If he can cause division there, it begins impacting entire sections of society. When this happens, society loses its moral fibre. All we need to do to notice this decline in values, is to look at the filth and lies that are infiltrating the minds of people via the media, education and politics.
The sad thing, is that the church is beginning to buckle under the pressure of these world views. So often, Christians want to seem cool so they slowly allow themselves to be indoctrinated by these worldly ideas. And before they know it, they find themselves on a slippery road that leads to sin and pain. When we go down this road, we will find affirmation from the world, but that is not the source from where we should find our acceptance. When we follow the road that God is calling us on, it will be tough and the heat will be on, all the time. That’s why Jesus tells us to count the cost before following Him.
When we realise that the only opinion that matters is God’s, we begin to free ourselves from the chains of wanting to impress the world. Why should we look for affirmation from people, when we can find it from God. All we need to do is to choose to live our lives to His glory. When we do that, we can face a multitude without any sense of fear, because He is always with us and will never forsake us. We also know, that a day is coming when Jesus will return for His church. On that day, those who chose to deny Him, will themselves be denied, and those who chose to serve Him, will be taken into glory and be rewarded for their faithfulness. What a day that will be. A day when all the struggles and pain from this world will fade into nothingness, because the ultimate Healer will remove all pain forever.
Thank you God for that promise. I choose to take up my cross and follow you, no matter what the cost.
Mark Davidson
