It’s a question we ask almost daily about food, clothing, and a myriad of other things. But for those in ministry and leadership, it’s a question whose answer may mean the cost of one’s job, family, and, in some cases, life. At a recent gathering I attended at the Museum of the Bible, I was able to go and meet with the researchers and curators of the many Bibles the museum has in its possession. One is Jim Elliott’s Bible, which his mother gave him as a young adult. Jim was speared to death trying to share Jesus with a remote, unreachable Waodani tribe in Ecuador in 1956, and whose story was told in the film “The End of the Spear.”
With the many challenges in the media and entertainment industry today, standing firm in our faith and obeying and trusting God has become increasingly costly.
Leaving LA and the place God had called me to in 1991, as well as the home where I had raised my children and had deep friendships, brought loads of tears. As I packed to move out of our home, I counted these costs along with the financial costs – packing supplies, moving van, storage, real estate fees, and so many more. However, I never dreamed it would cost me all my clothing, which was stolen on the journey to Tennessee. It was a cost I hadn’t planned on, and admittedly, it was a blow “beneath the belt.” However, God was re-teaching me and reminding me that with Him, we are never to look back but to go forward, practicing obedience even as we are stripped down (no pun intended), and to “count it all joy when you encounter trials” (James 1:2). God never wants us to look back, only forward. It’s what God did when sin infected the earth. He had a redemptive plan already in motion, but it would take two thousand years and it would be paid at the cost of His only Son.
As Easter approaches and we reflect on the cost Jesus paid for our salvation, I am reminded that He never wavered in the task set before Him. He walked in total obedience and trust in His Father, the Giver of Abundant Life. In Luke 14:28-33, Jesus asks us to consider the full costs and requirements of following Him. Are we willing to give everything as He did with His life?
Endurance to the end is costly. There are no compromises – ever.
Jim Elliott wrote this question in his Bible: “Does it cost to be a Christian? Sure, but look what it costs not to be.”
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV)