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“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” – Mt. 16:26
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Life is full of decisions, and becoming a Christian is the biggest you will ever make. It’s a decision arrived at by weighing, if you will, the pros and cons or consequences of such a choice. “Will it cost me my friends and family? Can I afford the sacrifices involved? Just how much will I have to change my life? What if I choose not to?”

A theory of human behavior asserts that people think about the consequences of their conduct before acting. They think about the rewards and costs in their choices. Rick Fischer, a Ph.D. on the subject, says, “in general, people want to keep their costs low and their rewards high.” Such theories are used to predict human behavior. If the theory is true, what would compel a person to choose Jesus over the world?

The benefits of walking with Christ far outweigh the costs. Jesus said the kingdom is like a “pearl of great value,” worth giving everything you have to acquire it (Mt.13:46). Likewise, Paul weighed his worldly goods and accomplishments against “the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus”; he chose Christ and counted everything else as rubbish (Phil.3:8). The Lord taught on several occasions that to be worthy of Him, a disciple must give up all, “take up his cross and follow” Him. Are the costs worth the reward? They absolutely are, for nothing comes close to “the indescribable gift” (2Cor.9:15). In Christ I am made rich with eternal riches.

As we teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others, we should tell how eternal life is a gift too great to be earned. But the choice to follow Christ can be a difficult one. A lost person must be shown why the “straight and narrow” is worth the costs (Read Eternal life is for the obedient)

May you seek God and find Him.

Categories: costs, eternal life