Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?”

I rocks with Peter. He was a hot head, cursed regularly, a passionate fellow. He was overly confident in himself and impulsive. And in Matthew 19:27, Peter asks the Messiah, King of Kings, Jesus Christ of Nazareth the one who was, is, and is to come “what’s in it for me?” Brazen, isn’t he?

In chapter 19, Jesus is talking to the people about divorce, blesses the children to come to him, and challenges a rich man to give away all of his possessions and follow Him. After seeing the man refuse to give up his stuff and follow Jesus, and after hearing Jesus tell them that a rich person cannot enter the Kingdom of God, Peter asks the question that I think we all want to know: what’s in it for those of us who have given up all we possess for Christ?

Have you ever wondered that? You’ve probably left jobs or relationships or downsized  your home or brought in a roommate to become better situated to do God’s work. You may have found yourself penniless, distraught, abandoned by friends or family in your pursuit of God’s perfect will for your life. You may have been faced with a debilitating disease that showed its destructive head at the very moment you thought you were on your way to fulfilling God’s call for your life.

Sometimes these things happen and we have to wonder if what we’re doing for His sake is worth it all. Sometimes we want to be as bold as Peter and just ask God, “what’s in it for me?”

Jesus answers Peter: “…and everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29)

Look at what Jesus points out: houses and property (our material possessions: money, clothes, homes, cars, comfort) family (those closest to us sometimes are the first to get “lost” in our pursuit of God) — property and relationships, two of the most essential components to our lives today! Jesus says that those who are called to give up these temporal things will be rewarded a hundred fold! This puts me in the mind of our brother Job who lost everything he owned — houses, land, cattle, money, family, and even his health (Job chapters 1-2)  — only to have it restored in a greater portion than before (Job 42)!

There is a greater reason for the sacrifices you’re making in your walk of faith. It’s not for “no reason” and no matter how many folks say, “it don’t take all that”, know that everything you “lose” in this walk will be restored to you IN THIS LIFE TIME. Jesus told us so! He’s not going to let you lose anything for His sake and not restore it back to you — He’s better than the stock market! Give your investor a$100, you might get some back or you might lose it all! Jesus promises us a 100 fold return on any and everything we give up for Him. No one can offer a better deal, trust me!

Don’t get consumed with these temporal things that society says is essential to have. It’s just stuff — and what we give up for Him pales in comparison to what He gave up… and is still giving up for us!

So, what’s in it for you? For me? Everything. Everything to gain and nothing to lose.

On the Chase,

Alisha L.