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Giving Up To Gain
Brian Mashburn
March 29, 2009
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"I Tell You The Truth..."
Whenever Jesus starts with those words, you might as well buckle your seat belt. He's about to blow you up with some really good news that is usually really hard to believe.
Just like in Luke 18 when he says, "I tell you the truth, no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life."
I really wish he didn't say this.
Now let's be sure we understand what he is not saying. He's not saying that you must leave your wife in order to advance the Kingdom. He's not saying you need to rebel against your parents or neglect your children in order to get eternal life. He's not saying that you must move from your home, or give up your job, or change careers in order to have the best possible life in "this age".
What he's saying is that you are to freely and without reservation put the Kingdom of God above all else, and if you do, even if it demands that you do something very costly to you relationally, materially, or physically, then you will get all of that back and more. And not only that, but this kind of prioritized living will also give you the eternal life you're longing for.
It's good news, but I kinda wish he didn't say it because I wish I could count on a life where the decision between staying where I am and following God would never have to be made. I wish that I could imagine a world where I will never be put in a position of choosing between my love for God and my love for any other human being.
But he did say it, because it does come up. And he's promising us the world if we will give it up and follow him.