Is He my reason for living?

I remember a cassette tape being passed around when I was in my late teens between my friends and I. It was a worship service where the pastor was talking about the martyrs, the countless men, women and children who have given up their lives because of their belief in Jesus.

I remember the pastor talking telling a true story of little girl that was dragged out in a roman theater where tens of thousands of on lookers were watching as hungry lions devoured her because she would not deny Christ. He talked about what it might have be like in heaven to ask that girl why she did it. He voiced what her response might be… “sure I was scared...all those lions... and all those people...but it was worth it because you see...He was my reason for living”.

As I am helping my husband put together a power point for a conference he is sharing at this week on “God’s call”.. that voice keeps ringing in my ears. “He is my reason for living”

We often talk about the cost of obeying God, of believing God is who He says He is. What will it cost us? Our comforts, our pride, maybe our friends, or our family, maybe even our lives… like it did this week for a 21 year old son of a man that was about to speak before Jonathan at this conference. He and his team were killed by terrorist in the middle east this weekend. But my question is not how much it cost but …

Is it worth it?

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. Philippians 3:7-9

Luke 14:33 The same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

John 12:23-25 Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”