Jesus was clear to His disciples about what the cost of following Him would be. In our Gospel (Matthew 10:16-22) Jesus warns of the persecution that will be faced, the potential for physical harm that may await and the families and friendships that will be torn apart for His sake.
When you want someone to do something, or go with you somewhere, do you lay out all the challenges and troubles that will come? Jesus doesn't make following Him sound very attractive, but He offers the promise to be with us through all of it.
He tells us not to worry about what we will say because His Spirit will give us the words. He also tells us of the reward to following Him!
"...but whoever endures to the end will be saved."
When we weigh the costs, even with all the challenges we will face, the struggles we will go through, the persecution that will meet us, this is still a no brainer! The promise of eternal life trumps all! The promise of eternity with the Father is worth anything we can possibly face here on Earth! That, and don't forget, we will NOT face any of these challenges alone!
Endure to the end! Finish strong, finish well and finish the race that God has set before you!
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