He did not die to make this life easy for us or prosperous. He died to remove every obstacle to our everlasting joy in making much of him. And he calls us to follow him in his sufferings because this life of joyful suffering for Jesus’ sake (Matt. 5:12) shows that he is more valuable than all the earthly rewards that the world lives for (Matt. 13:44; 6:19-20). If you follow Jesus only because he makes life easy now, it will look to the world as though you really love what they love, and Jesus just happens to provide it for you. But if you suffer with Jesus in the pathway of love because he is your supreme treasure, then it will be apparent to the world that your heart is set on a different fortune than theirs. This is why Jesus demands that we deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him. ~ John Piper, What Jesus Demands from the World, p. 71 (emphasis mine)
It's all I have time for today...and it's all that is really needed, and it reminds me of our beautiful sister Sara - whose heart was clearly set on Jesus, the Supreme Treasure.
HT-John Knight {Works of God}
