Costly

Image via WikipediaCostly.When did you realize that following Jesus was costly? How so? Ever wonder since then if the cost was worth it? What keeps you going??




In John 6:14 when therefore the people saw the sign which He had performed they said, "This is of a truth," and that, of course, was the miracle of the loaves and fish, "This is of a truth the prophet...the one promised in the Old Testament, the Messiah who is to come into the world. Jesus therefore perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone." He wanted nothing to do with their kind of faith. The believed He was the Messiah. They wanted to force him into their plans. He wanted nothing to do with it.When have you seen God stretch your limited resources (physically or emotionally) far beyond what you could have imagined? In what way do you need to trust him to do so now?You see, salvation and loving faith is more than wanting forgiveness, it's more than wanting heaven, it's being willing to turn from sin and submit to Christ.Loving faith is demonstrated by Peter, verse 17 of Matthew 16, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you but My Father who is in heaven." That is a confession. That is a loving statement. And Jesus says to him, you didn't get that from flesh and blood, My Father gave you that faith, My Father gave you that revelation. It is the Father God who enables anyone to believe.W.E. Vine said regarding faith, "It is a firm conviction, it is a personal surrender and conduct inspired by such surrender." He says when a man obeys God, he gives the only possible evidence that in his heart he believes God. Romans 7, Paul says I don't do what I want to do and I do what I don't want to do and I fight the battle of my flesh. To say you believe and don't obey is to say you don't believe, because if you'll believe, you'd do what you believe. What you believe to be true is what governs what you do. Paul says in Romans 6, it's so wonderful that when you were saved you took yourselves from being servants to sin and by God's grace you have now become the servants of righteousness, obedience.