"For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake" (Acts 9:16. NKJV).
Luke 9:62 says that we should not look back after embarking on our spiritual journey to follow Christ in discipleship. We have counted the cost, considered the pros and cons, and made the irrevocable decision to go on to know the Lord in the school of Christ, come what may, through thick and thin, and let the chips fall where they may. No turning back! Don't even look back--remember Lot's wife! We have to be willing to carry our cross, which pales in comparison to Christ's and since He didn't exempt Himself, we must be willing to follow Him to the end in discipleship, as we become more Christlike through adversity; since even Christ learned obedience through what He suffered.
Luke 9:62 says that we should not look back after embarking on our spiritual journey to follow Christ in discipleship. We have counted the cost, considered the pros and cons, and made the irrevocable decision to go on to know the Lord in the school of Christ, come what may, through thick and thin, and let the chips fall where they may. No turning back! Don't even look back--remember Lot's wife! We have to be willing to carry our cross, which pales in comparison to Christ's and since He didn't exempt Himself, we must be willing to follow Him to the end in discipleship, as we become more Christlike through adversity; since even Christ learned obedience through what He suffered.
Christ did all he could to discourage halfhearted seekers and fans or groupies, He wanted serious students and worshipers, not admirers, who wouldn't get discouraged by hardship. Christ was honest enough to warn us and didn't exempt Himself from hardship, adversity, and suffering. Christ made several "hard sayings" that made several of his disciples turn back and no longer follow Him.
The point is that we don't want to have half-finished, derelict towers because we failed to count the cost and ended up not willing to pay the price of discipleship. Salvation is free, but not cheap; easy-believism or cheap grace (which justifies the sin, not the sinner) is unbiblical and the only faith that will do is Lordship salvation, accepting Christ as Lord of all and submitting to His will for our lives. We don't submit part-way, for Christ demands our all and we need to be like Joshua and Caleb "who wholly followed the LORD."
We should never resent adversity or trouble, for the Lord knows the way we take and when we have passed the test, we shall come forth as gold. "The LORD knows the way that I take, and when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold." Job 23:12 Life is full of trouble as the spark flies upward, says Job 5:7. Job 14:1 says life is short and full of trouble. Psalm 34:19 (ESV) says "many are the afflictions of the righteous."
The point is that we don't want to have half-finished, derelict towers because we failed to count the cost and ended up not willing to pay the price of discipleship. Salvation is free, but not cheap; easy-believism or cheap grace (which justifies the sin, not the sinner) is unbiblical and the only faith that will do is Lordship salvation, accepting Christ as Lord of all and submitting to His will for our lives. We don't submit part-way, for Christ demands our all and we need to be like Joshua and Caleb "who wholly followed the LORD."
We should never resent adversity or trouble, for the Lord knows the way we take and when we have passed the test, we shall come forth as gold. "The LORD knows the way that I take, and when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold." Job 23:12 Life is full of trouble as the spark flies upward, says Job 5:7. Job 14:1 says life is short and full of trouble. Psalm 34:19 (ESV) says "many are the afflictions of the righteous."
No one escapes life trouble-free, and we must learn some lessons the hard way because we didn't listen or pay attention. In the end, we will be able to comfort those who suffer likewise and be able to say assuredly, that we've been there and done that! The suffering we've endured is like feathers in our cap and we will be rewarded for suffering for the kingdom's sake and in the name of Jesus, especially if we are persecuted or suffer shame or martyrdom. Soli Deo Gloria!
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