Often, I have asks people to do things and their response is “What’s it worth to you?” I guess that is a valid question when we ask for something. It seems that everything in life has a price. I have often been puzzled by people’s responses to serving Christ. Many times, it appears to be a one-sided relationship where the person receives the gift of eternal life, but they are not willing to spend their earthly life in obedience to God for the gift. We expect this gift to change our eternity, but we are unwilling to allow it to change our earthly life. Our perception of what salvation is all about is skewed by our own selfish desires. What should we be willing to do to obtain this precious gift that cost God and Jesus so much? Let us look at a few people in scripture and see what it cost them.
In Acts 7:54-60, we read the horrible but beautiful story of the martyrdom of Stephen. “When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” His faith and proclamation of his faith cost him his life. Saul, who we know as the Apostle Paul was there holding the coats of those killing Stephen. Paul never got over this event. It was shortly after this that Paul was saved.
In Luke chapter 1, Mary is told that she is pregnant and she will bear the Messiah. She doesn’t understand, and when Joseph is told, neither does he. I can only imagine the shame and shunning they experienced. Things were much different then and a sin of this magnitude would not be looked upon kindly. Yet, in Luke 1:38 Mary surrenders to God’s will. She doesn’t understand, but trust God anyway.
Luke 1:38 “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her”
In Genesis 6:8, the Bible teaches us that “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Noah was a just man who lived to please God when all the world was corrupt with sin. God gives Noah an assignment to build the Ark. I am sure he must have experienced much ridicule, mockery, and laughter from the public. As they passed by and saw him working on this monstrosity of a boat, they would think he was crazy. It had never rained before on earth, yet Noah preached righteousness and the judgment of God on the horizon, but no one listened except his sons and their wives. Some think it took about 70 years to build the ark, but God gave the command 120 years before the flood. He waited for a long time for God’s words to come true, but the reward was the life of his family and himself.
Genesis 6:13-14 “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.”
What about Abraham have you ever thought about what he was willing to do to prove his love and obedience to God? God asks him to sacrifice his own son. God did not stop Abraham until he had the knife in his hand drawn back to kill him. For me, this would have been the hardest test of faith. Yet God expected complete obedience.
Genesis 22:2-3 “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.”
Genesis 22:9-12 “And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.”
Our love for God must be supreme or he is not loved at all! It must be so intense that when compared to the love and commitment we have to anyone else that love will pale in comparison to what we have for Him.
Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
What has your faith cost you? Has it cost you ridicule and shame from friends and family? How about your life, has it ever been threatened because of your faith? What about the mockery of those making fun of your beliefs? Of course, you wouldn’t be reading this if it had cost you your life, but have you come to the resolution that you are willing to die for Jesus? These questions need to be thought about and answered in each of our lives. We too, need to be willing to demonstrate our love at all costs. That is the only servant God will be pleased with. What is your faith worth to you?
