the cost of following Christ

October 6, 2003

there is a longing in every soul for something more, for something greater, for something higher.

i had a chance to talk to a friend today on the phone for a while and she explained to me a situation she was in. it involved a girl, who in my opinion, has a desparate need for Jesus. a person who is crying out for the love of a Saviour. the story about her is pretty incredible. this girl has been moved from room to room in her apartment over the past few months. she apparently has incredibly sensitive hearing and the slightest sounds gets on her nerves. so she complains, complains and complains some more. as a result, she's considered annoying and doesn't have a lot of friends. in fact, most people don't want to be around her. her father doesn't seem to care too much about her but does give her what she wants. this girl makes complaints about noises that local residents apparently make, even if they aren't in their rooms! kind of strange, if you ask me. there's way more to the story, but i don't need to go into more depth.

what i can say from knowing all this, is that she is crying out for attention. her actions reflect this. she's longing for someone to love her, someone to care for her, someone to accept her for who she is. maybe something happened to her in her past that's caused her to be like this. but the fact of the matter is, she needs Jesus. she needs someone who is so passionately in love with Christ, that they would be willing to sacrifice their time and maybe even their own pride to befriend her. someone would be willing to endure potential hardship and 'suffering' for the sake of Christ.

Christ didn't call us to love the lovable. anyone can do that. it's not hard to befriend someone who is pleasant. we are called to love everyone, lovable or not. the fact that God created them makes them beautiful. everyone is beautiful in God's eyes. everyone is loved by God. and so as believers, we too must love them. Christ would have. and if we're following Christ, we should too. no matter the cost.

this girl, is but a small representation of a lot of broken and hurting people in this sinful and fallen world. there may even be people around you that are crying out, that are longing for a loving Saviour to wrap them in His loving arms. but if we are so absorbed in ourselves, we won't see it. if we're too busy to be inconvenienced with the needs of others, we'll simply find these types of people as annoying or unpleasant. and we won't bother with them. because who wants to be around someone who is bitter, who complains, who is constantly angry? Jesus Christ. He would have. He hung around all the rejects and outcasts of society. did He care about His reputation or the potential consequences of being around them? not at all. He looked past all of their external actions and looked straight to their heart. the world needs more people like Jesus Christ. and since Jesus returned to heaven, the responsibility is on our shoulders. we need to reflect the love of Christ in everything we do. we need to reflect the love of Christ to all the outcasts and rejects of society. who else will if we don't?

are we willing to lay down everything for the Cross of Christ? even if it means ridicule, even if it means rejection, even if it means pain and suffering? 2 timothy 3:12 says this: "in fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted". it all comes down to one realization. that our lives are not our own. that our lives were bought by the blood of Jesus. that our lives were graciously given to us by God and entrusted to us. because at the end of the day, it's not about us. it's all about Him. are we willing to return to Him the life that He gave to us no matter the cost?

this world desparately needs passionate lovers of God who are willing to do anything, and i mean anything for Christ.

"what is more, i consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake i have lost all things. i consider them rubbish , that i may gain Christ " (philippians 3:18 [NIV])

"but he said to me, "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." therefore i will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. that is why, for Christ's sake, i delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. for when i am weak, then i am strong." (2 corinthians 12:9-10 [NIV])

Posted by Leo Chan at October 6, 2003 10:24 PM