Coconut
Member
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2005
- Messages
- 4,663
If you could become any one of these four people, which would you choose?
(a) The richest, most successful businessman in the world;
(b) The most popular, most attractive star in Hollywood;
(c) The president of the United States;
(d) The poorest christian in the world;
Which do you choose?
Some of us might have a hard time choosing between a, b, and c; but is there anyone here who would pick d?
Let me change the question: You now have the same four choices, except: if you choose a, b, or c, you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If you’re the poorest christian in the world, you do.
Which do you choose now?
Is the choice hard?
Do you see what I’m asking? How much is Jesus worth to you?
Are you sold out to God? Or are you just sold out? Mary was sold out to God. Judas was sold out. Just as Esau sold his inheritance for lentil stew, Judas sold His soul for $5000.
That seems incredible to us — but what’s your price? Do you have a price?
While many of our brothers and sisters around the world and in the history of the church have had to ask that question, for us the prospect of physical punishment or death for proclaiming the preciousness of Jesus seems abstract, unreal. So ask yourself this question:
Is your price a steady job and a nice income and a nice house and a nice car?
Or is your price a spouse, a child, a parent, or a location?
Or is your price a ministry, a career, or a dream?
Is the cost of following Christ, and maybe giving up one or all these things too high for you? Or are you devoting yourself to these goals more than you are devoting yourself to following Jesus? Is the pursuit of these things, is your plan to achieve all these things, standing in the way of your making a radical, life-changing commitment to God?
Are you sold out to Jesus and the gospel? Or are you only playing at religious devotion?
Are you satisfied with a short daily devotion, a short daily prayer, a visit to the sanctury on Sunday, and then spend the rest of your time and energy in your own pursuits? After all, it is YOUR life, so it is ultimately your choice, and not even Jesus will make that choice for you.
If you knew the choice of your eternal destiny lay in your answer to that question, would it help you better choose? It does.
Will you say "I would rather have you Jesus, than ANYTHING!"
Luk 14:26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and in addition even his own life, he is not able to be My disciple.
And whoever does not carry his cross and come after Me is not able to be My disciple.
For which of you, the one wanting to build a lookout tower, does not first, having sat down, calculate the cost;
(a) The richest, most successful businessman in the world;
(b) The most popular, most attractive star in Hollywood;
(c) The president of the United States;
(d) The poorest christian in the world;
Which do you choose?
Some of us might have a hard time choosing between a, b, and c; but is there anyone here who would pick d?
Let me change the question: You now have the same four choices, except: if you choose a, b, or c, you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If you’re the poorest christian in the world, you do.
Which do you choose now?
Is the choice hard?
Do you see what I’m asking? How much is Jesus worth to you?
Are you sold out to God? Or are you just sold out? Mary was sold out to God. Judas was sold out. Just as Esau sold his inheritance for lentil stew, Judas sold His soul for $5000.
That seems incredible to us — but what’s your price? Do you have a price?
While many of our brothers and sisters around the world and in the history of the church have had to ask that question, for us the prospect of physical punishment or death for proclaiming the preciousness of Jesus seems abstract, unreal. So ask yourself this question:
Is your price a steady job and a nice income and a nice house and a nice car?
Or is your price a spouse, a child, a parent, or a location?
Or is your price a ministry, a career, or a dream?
Is the cost of following Christ, and maybe giving up one or all these things too high for you? Or are you devoting yourself to these goals more than you are devoting yourself to following Jesus? Is the pursuit of these things, is your plan to achieve all these things, standing in the way of your making a radical, life-changing commitment to God?
Are you sold out to Jesus and the gospel? Or are you only playing at religious devotion?
Are you satisfied with a short daily devotion, a short daily prayer, a visit to the sanctury on Sunday, and then spend the rest of your time and energy in your own pursuits? After all, it is YOUR life, so it is ultimately your choice, and not even Jesus will make that choice for you.
If you knew the choice of your eternal destiny lay in your answer to that question, would it help you better choose? It does.
Will you say "I would rather have you Jesus, than ANYTHING!"
Luk 14:26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and in addition even his own life, he is not able to be My disciple.
And whoever does not carry his cross and come after Me is not able to be My disciple.
For which of you, the one wanting to build a lookout tower, does not first, having sat down, calculate the cost;
