“A New Perspective (Jan 22nd)

Some people invest their life on things that have  no value. It could be because of a lack of understanding, wrong decision making or just following the wrong crowd. Jesus clearly said that one must work for things that will last for eternity — “what good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? (Mark 8:36). So how can we invest our life on things that will last forever?  The answer is very simple. It is by following Jesus Christ.  Following Jesus Christ is a long lasting investment. Of course, it might not be the easiest thing in life because it requires sacrifice. Many people will turn away from Jesus in order to keep a relationship, hold on to a sin, or stay on a career path. Knowing all these, Jesus warned His followers that they must deny themselves and even their loved ones in order to follow Him. As I meditate on this passage I am throwing these questions to myself and to you… “Am I willing to follow Jesus Christ?” “Do I know the cost of following Jesus Christ?” “Am I willing to pay the price?” My answer to all these questions is “YES.” I am sure we all want to say “YES” to Jesus. Regardless of the cost that we might have to pay and hardship that we might have to face, I am sure that we all want to say “YES” to Jesus. However, there will be time of uncertainty and doubt, pain and suffering, confusion and misunderstanding when we follow Jesus. But we want to say “YES” to our Lord Jesus because we know that it is the long lasting investment. We want to say “YES” to following Jesus because we get to see fruits at the end of our journey. So I am learning to develop a new perspective of following Jesus Christ. Now there is a sense of excitement. Although we might go through hardship or self sacrifice following Jesus Christ, it is going to be an exciting adventure. It is an exciting adventure because we get to experience Jesus’ grace and mercy in our lives. It is an exciting adventure because we will witness  radical transformation in our life and in the lives of those people that we relate to. Jesus is inviting all of us in this exciting adventure, right now. Are you ready?