What have I given up for Christ? What have I sacrificed trying to find Him, to know Him and follow Him? (Mk 10:28)
Sometimes it feels like I’ve lost a lot, albeit foolishly at times. A prestigious career, family, friends, wealth. I think I could’ve lived so much more comfortably, safely, with so much less suffering. (Mt 16:26)
But what have I actually gained? I have, indeed, found Christ. I know it. I should be comparing what I’ve lost with Who I’ve found.
Compared with Christ, when I do the math, whatever it is that I’ve lost really doesn’t add up to much; it pales in comparison. (Php 3:8-10)
Really now. Would I give up Christ for anything else? For anyone else? Not a chance! Would I give up anything I know about Him, or of Him? Would I purposely move just a tiny bit farther away from Him for anything temporal? No, I wouldn’t. Really. Nothing, absolutely nothing compares, on any level, with Christ. (He 11:24-26)
I’m so sorry I ever find in myself any resentment or regret for pursuing You; it grieves me deeply. (Ro 7:24) You’ve never required me to forsake anything good that I hadn’t already made into an idol. You’ve cared for me abundantly and faithfully all along the way, and suffering for you has been a privilege. (Php 1:29)
I can’t pursue both this world and Christ (1Jn 2:15-17); I’ve made my choice. (Mt 6:24) If I had it to do all over again, I’d choose You again, a million times over. Yes, always the same, no hesitation, none at all.
Christ does not require us to be unwise in this world, to sell all, everything we own, to give away everything in our lives, to abandon our gifts and calling in order to follow Him. He delights in blessing us with the good things of this world, as long as we hold them with open hands.
But if there’s anything in our lives that we’re clinging to, anything at all that we value more than Christ, then expect Him to require it of us, to deliver us from its hold in order to help us find more of Him.
Sometimes we can’t recognize what we have in Christ while we’re still grasping at something else. Often, we must let go by faith, blindly believing He is better than anything we could give up, before we can actually begin to appreciate the unsearchable riches, the surpassing beauty, the infinite treasure we have in Jesus Christ.
Excellent