Benefits

I like benefits. A lot. Most of us do. Tell me something that will improve my daily life, my family, or make my days a little easier, well then, you have my attention.

And serving God has certainly blessed my life. I wouldn’t know where to begin to even count the ways.

But I’ve been thinking lately about how we talk about Christianity. Sometimes we can spend so much time explaining to people what they will get that we barely mention what Jesus asks of them.

Then we follow Him, life gets harder, and we wonder what went wrong.

That bothers me. Especially when I recognize some of it in myself.

I can pray “Your will be done” and then spend the next ten minutes in prayer telling Him exactly how to do it.

Jesus spoke plainly about following Him. Deny yourself. Take up your cross daily. Follow Me. That’s Luke 9:23, and I imagine it was a difficult invitation to hear even then.

There are things I want God to fix that He may ask me to endure. People I want Him to straighten out that He has asked me to love. And some prayers require an obedience I keep hoping we can skip.

I’m grateful for every blessing.

But I have to ask myself whether I’ve made room in my Christianity for Jesus to tell me something I don’t want to hear.

And still do what He says.

Nathan Clark
#FirstLight #FollowingJesus #Faith