The Reward Is Worth the Difficulties

There is a cost to being completely sold out to God but there is also a great reward. When you are lukewarm, having a form of godliness without power — not overly sinful nor overly holy — you are accepted and your life is relatively quiet. You are no trouble to anyone, not even the devil.

When you get hungry for God and start to dig into his Word, people often fail to understand. Your appetite for worldly things begins to wane and you enter a new realm of discernment. You are broken and contrite in spirit, and you have a new burden for the church. You expect your friends to rejoice with you but, instead, they begin to call you a fanatic.

Moses was wonderfully touched by God’s hand and awakened about the bondage of God’s people. He was so excited by the great revelation of deliverance he had received that he ran out to share it with the brethren: “It came into his heart to visit his brethren … For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand” (Acts 7:25).

Moses was the meekest man on earth; he was consumed with God, not in a holier-than-thou way but in a humble, prophetic way. He wanted his brethren to hear and see what God was about to do but instead of rejoicing with him, they rejected him, saying, “Who do you think you are? Who made you ruler over us?” Someday they would understand — but not then.

Likewise, when you share insights into God’s Word or try to explain truths you discover, you may hear, “Are you sure you aren’t going a little overboard? That’s a bit heavy for me.” And, frankly, you may lose friends or even have family members distance themselves from you.

The greatest reward for going all the way with Jesus is well worth any misunderstandings that may come your way. That reward is having Christ always stand with you! There are other rewards but his constant presence is all we will ever need.