“Yet for all God’s goodwill toward us He is unable to grant us our heart’s desires till all our desires have been reduced to one. When we have dealt with our carnal ambitions; when we have trodden upon the lion and adder of the flesh, have trampled the dragon of self-love under our feet and have truly reckoned ourselves to have died unto sin, then and only then can God raise us to newness of life and fill us with His blessed Holy Spirit.
It is easy to learn the doctrine of personal revival and victorious living; it is quite another thing to take our cross and plod on to the dark and bitter hill of self-renunciation. Here many are called and few are chosen.
For every one that actually crosses over into the Promised Land, there are many who stand for a while and look longingly across the river and then turn sadly back to the comparative safety of the sandy wastes of the old life.” — A.W. Tozer
Comparative safety.
There is nothing that can be compared to the safety of being found in Christ. Yet, so often, we try and find another way.
Influence. Power. Beauty. Ego. Love from others.
It’s different for all of us. But none of it will ever fully satisfy our spirits.
But a life with God? Again, there is no comparison. It is worth it.
Is it hard? Yes.
We are not promised easy, but trouble.
And it sounds so contrary to what should be. But only if you stop there, at the trouble.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Christ is the resurrected King. Our eternal hope is based on this, that He is alive and reigns and will come again.
And that is a truth incomparable to anything else.
If you’ve been standing, looking longingly, wondering if a life following God is truly worth it, I pray you’ll jump in. It’s worth it. Hard, yes. But without, it’s unimaginably harder.
The day of salvation is closer than ever before. Many are called…
Come and see.