Years ago a sports mantra told us to “work through the pain,” that if we quit when the going got tough, we were weak, and we didn’t deserve the winner’s prize.
Now, of course, modern medicine has shown us that pain is our friend, and if it hurts, that’s our body’s way of telling us to slow down before we do permanent damage.
So, we have to weigh our options. At what point do we choose to quit? Do we push through the pain, risking irreparable damage, or do we stop when we feel the first twinges of discomfort?
Many of us would say, quit! Where is my easy chair? Yet, the Olympian who chooses his or her easy chair might as well stay home and watch on the television. There is a level of truth in that mantra: no pain, no gain.
The same weighs true in our walk with God. If we want to go further, rise higher, and excel for God, we have to take greater risks. We have to be willing to endure a little pain so that God may grace us with his gain.
John the Baptist is our finest example of a man who chose the greater risk in order to achieve the greater glory. Our proof is found in Matthew 14:10-12. John’s mission was to introduce Jesus to humanity. He took the greatest risk, and for it, he lost his life. Yet, in that moment of sorrow, John received the greatest glory.
Today, two thousand years later, we still hold this man up as one of the greatest examples of self-sacrifice for the cause of Christ.
No pain, no gain. When we want our lives to count for Jesus, to really count for the propagation of his message, we have to risk everything.
Even if it costs everything.
Jesus is worth everything, no matter the price he asks us to pay.
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