“For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:20 NKJV)
We need not wonder about the cost of discipleship. We need only look upon Jesus on the cross. There we see the awful cost of the ministry that is offered in the life, nature, and spirit of Jesus.
The cost is awful indeed. But if our work introduces men and women to Jesus and to God’s love, this cost must be accepted. In our own self-emptying, those who gaze upon us may see Jesus. In our conviction, people may be convinced to look upon the cross of Jesus and say, “Truly this is the Son of God.”
We have heard it said, “We can never wear the crown until we bear the cross,” but for those who willingly enter into the sufferings of Jesus, the cross is their crown, and they wear it with dignity and submission.
-- Norman Shawchuck in “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God”
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