“If he have faith, the believer cannot be restrained. He betrays himself. He breaks out. He confesses and teaches this gospel to the people at the risk of life itself.”
- Martin Luther
Should believers in Jesus Christ have a different view of success? Should that view include suffering hardships, discomfort, and sacrifice? I was reading a book recently that illustrated the views that are held by men and women preparing for ministry. According to a poll conducted among them here are a few criteria to describe their ideal ministry setting:
- be in a church within 90 miles of family and friends
- be in the city or suburbs near shopping malls and supermarkets
- be able to own a large home and have a couple of cars
Please dont misunderstand me, I am not saying that having these things are bad. What I am asking, however, is should that be our goal, or worse our expectation. Consider the words of Jesus:
“And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.””
- Matthew 8:19-20
I am starting to see a gap in many Christian churches. This gap is between what the gospel requires of us and what we are willing to do. I have been guilty of staring at that gap in bewilderment and then retreating behind some kind of screen (television, movie, computer, etc.).
There is a road stretching out in font of you and I today. Where it leads only the Lord knows. One thing is for sure that regardless of what difficulties we face God’s grace will be sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9). In fact if we want the garantee of God’s grace, the best place to be is on that road.
How far are you willing to go?
