Choosing Life

But everything that was gain to me, I consider to be a loss because of Christ.
More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as filth, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ- the righteousness from God based on faith.
My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being confirmed to His death, assuming I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead,
Philippians 3:7-11

Would you agree this man is committed? Fanatical even? But why? Why was he so committed? Why did he suffer so much because of Jesus Christ? As a fanatical Jew Paul persecuted the Christians until, he met the One they loved and served. This meeting so affected Paul that he gave up all his possessions, his reputation and he also followed.

Paul's commitment was tested severely: he was beaten many times to the point of death, stoned, shipwrecked, lied about, maligned, cast out by the very people he once belonged to, his fellow Jews. Yet he still followed and the longer he followed the more fervent he became, why? He had met pure love and as he walked with this love he gave his all for it. To Paul, Jesus was the pearl of great price.

Christianity is not for the faint of heart, the selfish, the lazy. Christianity is for warriors, lovers and those willing to lay down their lives for the sake of the gospel. You cannot take a little Christianity and mix it with a large dose of worldly living. You must choose, life or death. By choosing the world you choose eternal death and suffering, by choosing life you choose eternal life and temporary suffering now. Either which way you choose you suffer but one is forever without him and one is forever with Him.

Do you know Him? Have you met this man? Really met Him? He is worthy of all you life, your love, your energy, you time. What will it be folks? Do you want love that takes you higher than all your world throws at you or would you rather squirm around in the filth and pretend to be happy, to be loved?

Today you must choose, life or death! Amen!

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