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www.insidethebible.ca /counting-the-cost/
Micah Hackett
Paul exhorted Timothy, Therefore, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, endure hardship. The implication from this
verse is that if one does not endure hardship, he is not a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is essential that
we as believers count the cost of our service, for it will be filled with trial and hardship. Paul could also say, All who
live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Are we really ready for that kind of commitment? Are we ready to
endure what it means to be a Christian? Are we ready to, as the Lord Jesus commands, Be faithful unto death?
True faithfulness cannot end at any point, for then it turns into hypocrisy. And so, in order to be found faithful we
must be ready to go unto the extreme for our Saviour. Are you ready for the days ahead if they should include terror?
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These are solemn realities, and we must decide now what our response will be to them. Are you ready to sacrifice
for our Lords sake? Your answer to this question will coincide with what we have considered above.
As we conclude, let us be encouraged by the words of the Lord: Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and
persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for
great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Some would preach
that Christianity is a sort of mystical, magical, worry-free, and fun sensation of life that fulfills all of our desires. They
are wrong. They may have more money, but they are wrong. Christianity can be down-right hard. If it wasnt, why
would Scripture take up the subject of trials so often? But though we are promised tribulation, and though we are
promised persecution, we are to be happy. How? By keeping the words of Christ in mind, Great is your reward in
Heaven. God is not unfaithful in any measure to forget our efforts for His sake. But not only will He remember them,
He will reward and recognize them. In fact, He even goes so far to say, For they persecuted the prophets before you
in the same way. This implies that just as the prophets endured the same persecution, just as they were great men
of God, and just as they were honoured for it, so do we have the opportunity to be great people of God for our
endurance and faithfulness. This is certainly tremendous incentive to serve! With this in mind, how is your attitude
toward service? Has it changed? Is it stronger? Are you ready to count the cost of your service and yet serve
faithfully for your Lord? O to love the Lord so that we could count all as loss that we might be pleasing to Him! For
He certainly does delight in His faithful people.
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