we have all heard verse like mark 8:34 it says "if anyone would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" but have you ever stopped to think about what this would mean? to carry his cross would be the act of carrying the beam of the a cross that a person would be killed on it was humiliating and painful walk to your own death. We are called to do this daily to die to our self and to live for Christ.
Not once does the bible say that this life was meant to be easy but it does make it very clear that we will suffer, be hated and persecuted. While this may look very different from person to person will happen if you are living your live for Christ. We are called to not live like world but to live like Christ and that will make us different. To live a life like Christ means that we must suffer like Christ he was hated beaten and died the most humiliating and painful deaths but more than that he took the wrath of God for our sin he dies and suffered for us, we need to be willing to do the same. Dying for us was the most that he can do living for him is the lest that we can do.
There is a lot of talk about what it will cost to be obedient and follow God. What are you willing to give up and what you are willing to suffer for Christ. you may be willing to pay any cost to follow Christ, hatred, persecution, beating and even death. But what about the cost that your obedience on the around you it can often be that those you love will pay more then you will. It will affect them and they will suffer for it but this is the awesome thing about suffering for Christ is not really a loss but a gain. The people we love we have to pay the price sometimes it can be even greater on them then on us, so what is your limit, what are you willing to give up to follow Christ cause we are called to give up everything.
When we are in trials and suffering that God is not absent he has not suddenly forgotten us in fact it is just the opposite he is working all the things together for our good for those who love him. God works all things together for even the worst things together for good.While it might not seem like there is no suffering no pain no cost to high that will even compare to the glory that we are going to see. So whether it is missing out of time with family, being hated by family or friends losing people you care about, physical pain or even death. It will be nothing compared to what Christ suffered for us.
When going though trials ans suffering do you worship God because he is good or blame him for your pain. God is always good no matter what you are going though in life he is and he his working and he is right there with you. The cost of obedience is high but the cost of disobedience is even higher.
