Upside Down, Inside Out
Matthew 19:29-30 Everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or farms to follow me will get much more than they left. And they will have eternal life. Many people who are first now will be last in the future. And many who are last now will be first in the future.
We each have to make sacrifices along the way. But have you ever thought through what a sacrifice really is? Because if we don’t get that bit, then you have to ask yourself – why even bother?
It seems to me that a sacrifice means giving up something that you want today for something that you want more down the track. Chess players might sacrifice a bishop to lure their opponent into a move designed to take their queen.
A mother will sacrifice her own comforts, often her own needs, to give her children the very best upbringing she can. And at the time, sacrifices are never pleasant, they’re rarely glamorous and more often than not, they go unnoticed.
What sacrifices have you made along your journey? Have they been worth it, or are you still left wondering? Jesus talked quite a bit about the sacrifices that He calls us to make … but He never failed to explain the certainty of their outcome.
Matthew 19:29-30 Everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or farms to follow me will get much more than they left. And they will have eternal life. Many people who are first now will be last in the future. And many who are last now will be first in the future.
People often don’t talk about this, but following Jesus is hard. You have to give up some stuff – sometimes rather a lot. But in the upside down, inside out economy of God’s kingdom, those who are last today for His sake will be first for all eternity. Don’t give up.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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