Thursday, 22 September 2022
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of GOD.” – I Corinthians 1:18 NKJV
I remember a few years ago, a good friend of mine said something about my life, that not only shocked me to my core but also challenged me spiritually. She said, “For someone who is so committed to the things of GOD, and is completely sold out for the church, your life is deeply uninspiring”. At the time my life was riddled with all sorts of challenges. As I was growing spiritually, and materially, everything was going down. I was financially in the worst place ever. Debts were grabbing me by the throat. Work was at its most stressful, and relationally I was going through hell. Basically, all areas of my life were on fire, while my spiritual life was thriving. Mind you, at the time, even my own family members were telling me how it hurt them to see me so committed to the things of GOD, and yet I’m losing everything right in front of their eyes. That perhaps I needed to take a step back and reassess this road I had chosen. Surely I was living out of the will of GOD and had somehow allowed the enemy to enter and steal from me.
While I had been happy and at peace in my heart and spiritually, these statements threw a spanner right between my eyes. This made me wonder if all I was doing for the Kingdom was perhaps me being foolish and if I was really hearing GOD saying, “All is well. You are blessed and do not be moved”. The physical and the spiritual were not aligning one bit; but in all that, my heart remained convicted to not only stay in Christ but to give even more of myself to Him. I cannot begin to express the joy and peace I have in Him. Not only does it surpass all understanding, but it has also remained for years, through the most challenging and shocking circumstances. Do I want to see great material blessings in my life? ABSOLUTELY! Would I trade my relationship with Christ for them? NOT A CHANCE!
Now here’s a plot twist: The same “friend” who commented on my uninspiring life, has all the worldly rewards one can imagine, but has no joy, and craves peace. I am not writing this to mock anyone, but merely to remind us that there are things that money simply cannot buy. As shiny and attractive as the world looks, it is designed to ultimately take away, destroy, and eventually kill. It can never give anything divine or eternally worthwhile, and yet many keep going deeper and deeper into its hopeless pit, with the hopes of finally hitting the jackpot.
“Yes,” Jesus said to them, “and I tell you that those who leave home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and for the Gospel, will receive much more in this present age. They will receive a hundred times more houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields—and persecutions as well; and in the age to come they will receive eternal life. But many who are now first will be last, and many who are now last will be first.” Mark 10:29-31 GNT. It might seem like our commitment to Christ has brought more hardships than when we were in the world. The reason is that, whether we knew it or not, we were of the world and serving the kingdom of darkness. No matter how tempting the world is, serving and abiding in Christ is worth more than anything this world can offer, in this life and in the life to come. The people we look at and think are flourishing without GOD, will soon be the ones who look at us in awe when they see what Christ has prepared for those who love Him.
“The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.” Proverbs 10:22 NKJV. When tempted to go back or to give up, please choose to go further and deeper on this road you have chosen in Christ. He promises us that it is worth it in every way, and I believe Him.
As shiny and attractive as the world looks, it is designed to ultimately take away, destroy, and eventually kill
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