Living in the Light of Eternity

Prayer is one of the most difficult jobs you will ever undertake, but it is the quickest way to get anything done. What would otherwise take 50 years of struggle can be accomplished in five. If the battles are first won in prayer, I have seen this happen over and over on the front lines of the mission field. When you read about the lives of the New Testament Christians, you find that when they were threatened or harassed, when they faced struggles or problems, they met immediately for prayer. And the book of Acts records this about their prayer meeting. It's in Acts chapter 4, verse 31. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. These believers rooted their every action in prayer. They were filled with power to do the impossible and affected their community radically. Even though they were unlearned and uneducated, with no special training, everyone knew they had spent time with Jesus. Do you ever say to yourself things like these? I'm so tired of the way my husband lives his life. I thought all these years that he was an honest man, but now I've found out his private life is not so wonderful. Or I'm frustrated with my wife's unwillingness to commit her life to the cause of God's kingdom. I wish she wouldn't resist my efforts to pray and give to the Lord. I wish things would be different. Or I'm tired of trying to witness to my co-worker. All he does is make fun of my faith and deliberately try to trap or test me. I wish he would change or just leave. What is your next step? Run out for the newest self-help book that will tell you how to make it all work? Throughout the Bible, one thing moved the hand of Almighty God. Prayer. On many occasions, Jesus spent an entire night in prayer, often after a day of hard work. The next day, he would go out and minister to people in the strength of the Spirit. The dynamite power that flowed through him was a direct result of his contact with the Father. When I urge you to intercede for the lost, you know I'm not talking about the phrase you may have added to your prayers at the dinner table as you were growing up. Lord, please bless this food and bless our family and save the heathens in Africa. No, I am talking about entering an incredible spiritual battle, making a deliberate choice to wage warfare against the powers of darkness for the release of souls who have no one else to fight for their deliverance. Paul exhorts us in Ephesians chapter 6 to use prayer as a weapon. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. We face tremendous opportunities today on the mission field. People's hearts are open to receive the gospel, and we're able to send workers into the most unreached areas. At the same time, we face a great increase in opposition and persecution on the mission field. We also face self-centeredness and misunderstandings within the body of Christ, which often hinder the willingness of the church to give to missions. We need to unite together to pray against the powers of darkness. They will not be defeated any other way. Spiritual breakthroughs will come, not as we sit and wish for them to happen, but as we are on our knees. Do you realize that some of the history-changing revivals took place not through a massive effort of hundreds of people, but through a small handful who prayed and fasted? Whole nations have been changed because three, four, or five people were willing to get on their knees before the living God. I know of a community in India where more than 60 percent of the people came to Jesus Christ because a group of men prayed and fasted for two weeks before they opened their mouths to utter one word in the village. Prayer is what changes people, circumstances, nations, and even history. You may say, I am not a mighty man or woman. I'm a weakling when it comes to prayer. What can I do? I will offer some suggestions in a moment, but first let me tell you this. When you are weak, when you stumble and fall, the cross of Christ becomes powerful. Jesus has told us in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 9, my power is made perfect in weakness. The men and women of God whose stories are recorded in the Bible are men and women who changed their circumstances. Realize that you are able by God's grace to change your circumstances. Often we have a tendency to wait instead for our circumstances to change. I'll be able to do something for God when my ship comes in. But did you send a ship out? You cannot guarantee that one will come in. You may say, I would fast and pray for Tibet if I had a little more physical strength, or I'll think about ministry after I get married, or I can focus on doing more when my problems at home are solved, or I'll sell out everything to serve the Lord after my retirement, on and on and on. You cannot live in the light of eternity with this attitude. But if you do not have a consistent prayer life, you cannot know the resources God has already given you. He has given you power, but the key to power is prayer on all occasions. As a ministry, Gospel for Asia is fairly young. At the time of this writing, we are just past the 15-year mark. But wherever I go, people ask me the secret to our growth. One organization even sent a delegate to our Dallas office to find out what was behind it. I walked with them through our office while we talked. Tell me, Brother KP, said, which agency does your fundraising? We have no agency, I replied. Although we're not against them, some agencies are made up of godly people called by the Lord to help build His kingdom. He was a little confused. Well, then, what do you have? At the very beginning of our ministry, we started a Tuesday evening prayer meeting that has been going on ever since. We meet from seven until nine every Tuesday night. Also, our office staff arrives half an hour early, three mornings a week, to pray before the day begins. And on the first Friday of each month, we meet for all-night prayer, which lasts until three or four in the morning. We spend more time praying than planning. We simply pray for everything that happens. If we have a need for something, we just pray. We're not throwing out logical thought, of course. We need planning and budgeting. We need the best brainstorming sessions to learn how to share the message more effectively. But neglecting to bathe the ministry in prayer leaves us just workers, not worshipers. When we unite in prayer, there is incredible power. It is not my intention to intimidate you into a prayer life or put you on some guilt trip. Prayer is not something we can legislate. It has to flow from each believer's heart to the Lord. At the same time, I cannot overemphasize how important prayer is. It is such a vital part of our lives as followers of Jesus that no excuse is good enough to keep us away from it. Is prayer mandatory? It is not. We cannot create spirituality or put our brothers and sisters under bondage of guilt and legalism. Is prayer mandatory? It is. How can we stay away from it if we're to follow Jesus seriously? If you desire a fresh prayer life and are wondering how and where to start, let me offer a few suggestions that might help you find your way. 1. Take some time to pray right now. Humble yourself before the Lord Jesus. Tell Him of your desire to spend more time in His presence. Ask Him to help you know how to pray and what to pray about. This is the first major step you must take before anything else can happen. 2. As you begin to spend more time in prayer, allow your heart to open up in worship to the Lord. You need an individual life of worship, not just during the corporate worship time of your church. What is worship? Literally, it means to fall down prostrate before the Lord. When you begin to understand who God really is, you will worship Him. Find Bible verses that mention His names and what they mean. Use scripture to pray, including many of the beautiful expressions in the Psalms. Sing songs to the Lord. If you do not know any songs or the ones you know do not seem to fit, make some up. 3. Use some common resources to give you items for prayer. Watch the news on TV if you do not know what's going on in the world. Get hold of a major newspaper and read the international section. Scribble down some notes about what's happening in Myanmar, Afghanistan, or China. Begin to pray for the needs of these nations. Put up a world map in your house. Get a copy of Operation World by Patrick Johnstone, which gives a tremendous amount of information on the spiritual condition of every country in the world. Subscribe to the newspaper published by Gospel for Asia, Send, and other missions publications. Make every report a matter of intercession. Soon you will discover that 30 minutes, an hour, or even two hours will not be enough to even scratch the surface. God in his incredible wisdom has ordained prayer to be the most powerful weapon of the church. If he had chosen anything else, like preaching, singing, money, or education, many of us could not participate in waging warfare. But prayer requires none of these things. It can take place anywhere, anytime, and can be done by anyone. A housewife, a child, a grandfather, a corporate executive. All are able to impact the world and help change the destiny of millions. It is to the personal price of reaching those millions that we now turn. And now we begin part three of K.P. Yohannan's book, Living in the Light of Eternity. Part three is Answering the Call of Eternity. Chapter 10 Selling All for the Pearl On August 27, 1990, at 6.10 a.m., my mother died. She was 84. Her last words were, I am going to my father's house. She loved the Lord deeply and walked closely with him. Through her example, she taught her six sons to love Jesus. Her 21 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren were also touched by her love for the Lord. For as long as I can recall, mother got up as early as four in the morning to read her Bible and pray. For hours she poured out her heart to her loving father and found strength and encouragement in his word. Then she woke up the rest of the family to say, time to pray. Every morning we sat in a circle together, read our Bibles, and prayed. I cannot remember a time that I did not see mother during the morning hours with a Bible in her hands. Clearly I remember the day she took me to a gospel meeting. I was only eight years old, but that day I gave my heart to Jesus. Committing my life to serve the Lord at age 16 was a direct answer to my mother's prayers, too. For three and a half years she had fasted and prayed every Friday, asking the Lord to call one of her boys to become a missionary, and hardly a day went by that she herself did not visit several homes in my village to witness about the Lord. I was on my way from India to South Korea to speak at a missions conference when she was admitted to the hospital with heart problems. I canceled my trip and stayed in India, visiting her daily, reading Bible verses, and praying with her. As soon as I started reading a verse, she would finish it from memory. As she lay in her hospital bed, she talked continually about Jesus. The doctors, nurses, and aides were all touched by her simple yet strong faith. I am going home soon, she would tell them. I am so happy. The day before she died, she took the hand of one of the young doctors who came to her bedside and told him, You sit here and sing for me. When the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there. The next morning my older brother phoned me to say that mother had just passed away. She longed for her father's house and had finally gone home. After her death, her doctors told me they had never seen such peace or assurance in a dying person. Then came the funeral, the saddest day of my life. The thousands of people attended whose lives she had touched. It was my responsibility as the youngest son to go to the coffin just before it was closed and cover my mother's face with a veil. My oldest brother sat at the foot of the coffin. As I lifted the veil, something struck me like lightning. I realized when I looked at her face that something was missing. It was her earring. I had never seen mother without her earring. And the tiny gold chain that was the symbol of her marriage with my father. That was also missing from around her neck. And the ring on her finger that she always wore. It was gone too. There had been so much going on that I had not noticed these things until now, in the last few seconds that I would see her on this earth. As I placed the veil over her face, one other thing stood out to me. Her Bible was not there. After her coffin was closed, the crowd dispersed quietly and our family walked slowly home. When we arrived home, my oldest brother, who now would handle our mother's affairs after her death, took me aside. Ever since our father had died in 1974, I had looked to him as the head of our family, as is the custom in my native land. I asked his opinion in matters pertaining to our family and respected his wishes. I know you have to go overseas soon, he said to me that afternoon, but I thought you might like to know how much money mother left in the bank. I was curious. I imagined there would be a good sum of money because we six children had given her quite a bit over the years. I looked through all her records, he told me, and she has about two or three dollars left. What? I was astounded. Yes, he replied, and she also kept a record of what she did with her money. We had never known what she did with it, but I discovered that afternoon that over the years she had been sending her money faithfully to dozens of missionaries, Bible school students, and others who were serving the Lord. Oh, and by the way, my brother added, she wanted her earring, her gold chain, and her ring to be sold and the money used for mission work among the unreached. I was quiet after I heard this information. This was not just another great illustration of a saint of God. This was my mother. It hit close to home and made me think a lot about my own life and priorities. In chapter four, we talked about giving our lives to God as living sacrifices. In these next chapters, I want to provide an eternal perspective on our material goods and our families as well. We cling to many things in this world, as Coup de Pan did, the beggar who clung to his rupee coin, but we will not carry them with us. Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a merchant looking for fine pearls when he found one of great value. He went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Juan Carlos Ortiz, in his book, Called to Discipleship, expands the story and gives us a better understanding of what absolute surrender, selling everything for the pearl, is all about. When a man finds Jesus, it costs him everything. Jesus has happiness, joy, peace, healing, security, eternity. Man marvels at such a pearl and says, I want this pearl. How much does it cost? The seller says, it's too dear, too costly. But how much? Well, it's very expensive. Do you think I could buy it? Oh, of course, anybody can. But you say it's too expensive. How much is it? It costs everything you have, no more, no less. So anybody can buy it. I'll buy it. What do you have? Let's write it down. I have $10,000 in the bank. Good, $10,000. What else? I have nothing more. That's all I have. Have you nothing more? Well, I have some dollars here in my pocket. How many? I'll see, 30, 40, 50, 80, 100, 120, $120. That's fine. What else do you have? I have nothing else. That's all. Where do you live? I live in my house. The house, too. Then you mean I must live in the garage? Oh, I have a garage, too. That, too. What else? Do you mean that I must live in my car, then? Oh, you have a car. I have two. Both become mine, both cars. What else? Well, you have the house, the garage, the cars, the money, everything. What else? I have nothing else. Are you alone in the world? No, I have a wife, two children. Your wife and children, too. Two? Yes, everything you have. What else? I have nothing else. I am left alone now. Oh, you, too. Everything, see? Everything becomes mine. Wife, children, house, garage, cars, money, clothing, everything. And you, too. Now, you can use all those things here, but don't forget they're mine, as you are. When I need any of the things you are using, you must give them to me because now I am the owner. What does it mean to give up everything for the pearl of great price? The home of a close friend of mine has been broken into several times in the past few years. Most of the time, he told me, they found nothing worth stealing. The damage done to enter his home cost more than the theft itself. My main concern, he told me, was not for the house, but for my family. I was just glad they weren't at home when it happened. But after the last attempt, I thought to myself, why not put a note on the door saying, please come in, the door is unlocked, take all you want, there is really nothing to take. And then he laughed. I found my imagination painting a picture of our house being dismantled by thieves or burning to the ground. And I was pleased and surprised by my reaction to the mental scenario. So what? I thought to myself, I'm not the owner, the Lord owns this house. Whether it's torn apart or burned to the ground, no problem. Where will we sleep tomorrow night? That's his problem. Giving up everything for the pearl of great price means even more than relinquishing material things. It means relinquishing loved ones too. One day, as I sat in an airport terminal waiting for a connecting flight, I prayed to the Lord and agonized over the many opportunities on the mission field. I thought particularly of the millions of Muslims throughout the world and the immense challenge before us to reach them with the gospel. Suddenly it was as if I were taken away to another time and place. A voice said, your son will finish high school and go to the mission field. As I looked, I saw Daniel in Iran going door to door and passing out gospel tracts. And then I saw him being arrested. He was pushed blindfolded up against a wall. Shots rang out and he slumped over, blood pouring from a fatal wound to his head. I saw myself at home hearing the news for the first time in shock. Then the voice asked me, now what do you think? Back in the airport terminal, the question would not go away. What did I think? What would I do with my son? From the very beginning, Gisela and I have always told our children, when you finish your studies, you can go to the mission field. Our children have always thought of their lives in terms of reaching the lost. Now, as I sat in the airport, I knew what my response would be. If Daniel went to Iran, distributed tracts door to door, and was caught and killed, I could only say, praise the Lord. He did what God called him to do. He is not mine. My son belongs to the Lord. Do I write these stories and scenarios just to impress you or to fill up pages in a book? No. I want to convey from these illustrations that your choice to live for Jesus is not just a means to escape hell. It is not just to have your sins forgiven or to have a nice comfortable life here on earth with good fellowship and a free ride to heaven. We saw in chapter 8 that life for Jesus is a battleground. Like it or not, we are in the enemy's territory. Jesus himself was harassed continually by the powers of darkness and the enemies of the gospel. He had no nice place to lay his head. He was misunderstood and rejected. He was often left alone, particularly at the hour of his greatest need. He died daily and on the cross in great agony. Paul and the other apostles followed in his footsteps. Am I saying you are more spiritual if you walk around in rags and alienate yourself from society? No. And I do not want you to assume from what I am writing that giving up rights or comforts is all there is to life in Christ. Every truth in this world, stretched beyond its limits, will become a false doctrine. But when you commit yourself to live for Jesus, you cannot live just like everyone else. You must follow the Lord closely day by day. Only he can provide the balance you need. This is why we are told in the word of God that those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. As we walk through this life, we can choose to be led by the Spirit, or we can choose to be led by our own logic, by other people's opinions, or by our own flesh. What led Mahatma Gandhi to live as he did, giving up everything to free India from colonial bondage? What led Gautama Buddha to walk away from his princely authority, his palace, his wife and child, and live as a monk for the rest of his life? It was not the Holy Spirit in either case. They themselves prompted their actions. Our flesh will do a lot of good-looking things, a lot of praying, a lot of fasting, a lot of giving up. But the word of God says in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 3, If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. If we are not controlled and led by love for God, as we saw in the story of the older brother in chapter 6, all the right outward behavior amounts to nothing. Since love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, we must be filled continually with the Holy Spirit and led daily by Him. What is your life? asks James chapter 4 verse 14. You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Since your life is short, what will you leave behind? My mother could not take her earring, her necklace, her ring, even her Bible, when she died. But the faith she instilled in the lives of her children, grandchildren, and many others will live forever. What will you leave behind? A few pieces of jewelry, a house, some cars, land, investments, money in the bank? Or will you leave more than that? What about a son or a daughter who is serving the Lord somewhere in the world? What about the memory that you lived for Jesus with all your heart, that you gave Him all you had and all you were to gain His kingdom? What about the knowledge that you gave all you could to win the lost and dying souls of the world? Jesus told His disciples the cost of the pearl of great price. It's right there in Matthew chapter 16 verse 24. If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. May you find the willingness in your heart to sell all you have for the pearl. In the next chapter, I want to show you how it was that Jesus paid the price. His eyes were not focused on the cross. He was looking beyond it. Chapter 11, Looking Beyond the Cross. Samuel lived a comfortable life in South India and made good money in his job. He was a who attended church faithfully, read his Bible and prayed. In 1984, he attended a missions conference. He was challenged to give his life to serve the Lord full time. There was no question in his mind that this was what Jesus wanted him to do. He went home, resigned his job and bought train tickets for himself and his family to the state of Karnataka. His was not a life he wanted to leave, but he was constrained by the love of the Lord. Samuel chose one particular region in Karnataka because he had heard that this area was unreached. It was also notorious for being one of the most vicious anti-gospel regions in the nation. He managed to find a tiny hut. They could call home and gradually learn the local language. As his language skills grew, he began to preach and witness in the community. One by one, people came to know Jesus. A local church was established and Samuel was able to construct a small building where he and the believers met for worship. Then came the day when Samuel led a Hindu priest to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a daring act to win your local Hindu priest to the Lord in a community where the vast majority are Hindus. It is particularly risky when your area is a stronghold for a sect of fanatical, militant Hinduism. The goal of this sect? To make India a completely Hindu nation. The news spread fast that the local temple priest was no longer the temple priest, but was studying the Bible and sharing the gospel. The priest's own brothers contacted the militant sect, specially trained to torture those who violate their religion or disobey orders. The gang reacted swiftly to the news. One Sunday not long after, when Samuel had gathered the believers as usual for worship and teaching, a jeep pulled up in front of the building. A group of angry men walked into the church right up to Samuel. They beat him viciously with iron rods, smashing his hand and breaking his arm, leg, and collarbone. Samuel's family and the other believers stood by helplessly, weeping in his terrible pain and the fact that they were unable to help him. Suddenly Samuel's seven-year-old son ran up to the front. Please don't kill our daddy, he cried. The gang leader turned on the little boy and swung his iron rod. The boy screamed in pain as the rod connected with his back and broke it. He fell to the dirt floor like a crumpled rag. The gang members stepped back from their victims. This is only a warning to you to stop preaching this Jesus, they snarled. Next time we come back, we won't leave you alive. We will kill you and bury you in this place. They ran out of the door, jumped into their jeep, and drove off in a cloud of dust. Samuel and his son were taken to a local hospital where they remained for several months. A few months after this incident occurred, I was in India teaching at our local training center. I did not know that Samuel had also arrived there to meet with our leaders. That evening during the prayer meeting, the Lord strongly impressed in my heart to pray for anyone who needed healing. So I said, if anyone is sick tonight, no matter what it is, I want you to stand up. The Lord has promised us by his word that he heals and he will heal you tonight. Several in the group stood up. As I prayed for each one, I knew the Lord would heal them. The next day, I found out Samuel had arrived. I asked him to share his testimony during the evening meeting. I knew it would be a challenge and encouragement to the young students at our training center who were planning themselves to go to the pioneer areas and witness for the Lord. That evening when Samuel stood up, he added something to his testimony I had not expected. Last night before I came to your prayer meeting, he said, I could not do anything with my hand. He held up the hand the Hindu gang had smashed. I couldn't lift anything. I couldn't ride a bicycle. I couldn't even wring out a washcloth. But when Brother K.P. prayed last night, the Lord healed me. Now I can carry a bucket. I can move my hand any way I want, and I can wring out my washcloth. The Lord has healed me. During those days, I spent some time with Samuel. In the course of conversation, I asked, what do you plan to do now? This young missionary looked at me with peaceful determination in his face. I'm going back. Even if I'm killed, my blood will be the foundation for many more churches. A few days later, Samuel did go back, and he continues to share the gospel in the same area of Karnataka. His little son is doing well and attends the local school. Samuel has baptized many more converts, and he has been beaten again. This precious brother has counted the cost and is willing to pay the price. Why? Like Jesus, he is focusing on something else. But before we see what that is, first tell me this. What would you do if you were in Samuel's place? If Hindu fanatics promised to come back and finish you off, would you keep preaching the gospel? I can tell you what I would want to do. I would look for a Bible verse to justify my getting out. A verse like John 8, verse 59. At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. Or how about 1 Timothy 5, verse 8. If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. An unbeliever? My goodness, I better leave this place and take better care of my family. The Bible says so. Jesus left too, you know. There must be hundreds of Bible verses I could isolate to justify my rational, sober-minded decision. My best argument, of course, would be something like this. I'm only 40-some years old. God wants me to use my brain for his kingdom. With all the investment he's made in my life since I was 16, it wouldn't be right for me to be killed by some fanatics next week. I'm leaving this place, so I'll have another 40 years of my life to invest in God's kingdom. But what did Samuel say? Even if I am killed, my blood will be the foundation for many more churches. So he went back. No arguments, no excuses, no rationalizations. In Acts chapter 20, when Paul was headed to Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit revealed to him as he had revealed to him in every city that prison and hardships awaited him. Imagine with me a scenario that might have taken place during that time. Paul and the believers are in the middle of a prayer meeting when the Holy Spirit speaks through one of the believers. This man, Paul, who is among you tonight, will be bound and chained in Jerusalem. He will face afflictions and sufferings. A shocked silence follows this prophecy. For these believers, Paul is bigger than life. They love him. They're willing to die for him. After the prayer meeting, a group gathers around Paul. One elder says, Paul, you know the Holy Spirit spoke to you tonight? Yes, Paul replies. I believe it was the Holy Spirit. There is a collective sigh of relief among the group. So, the elder continues, you won't be going to Jerusalem after all. Now that the Lord has warned you, adds another, you can stay away from that city. Oh, I didn't say that, Paul tells them. I only said I believe it's a word from the Lord. As a matter of fact, everywhere I've gone, the Holy Spirit has said the same thing. But I'm still going to Jerusalem. I must. The voices of the believers rise together in protest. Paul, you can't go, please. You're facing a threat to your life. Don't leave us. We need you. But I don't consider my own life dear to me, says Paul. How can you kill a man who's already dead? I love my Lord more than life itself, and there are many who still need to know Him. Whether or not the conversations went exactly like this, the conflict was real then and now. I have the firm conviction that God wants to do something wonderful in our generation with believers who are serious about following Him. He wants to reach every language, every tribe, and every nation with the gospel, and is still looking for those who will share His heart. Ezekiel chapter 22 verse 30, I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land, so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. I believe right now He is building the foundation of that wall through us, His children. Recent studies of U.S. highways have shown a surprisingly high incidence of roadside collisions in which drivers collide with cars parked legally on the side of the road. Most of the drivers are not under the influence of alcohol or medication, and most of the collisions occur during favorable weather conditions. As safety experts studied these statistics and determined to account for them, they came up with a fascinating explanation, the moth effect. Just as a moth is drawn to a flame, so a driver tends to steer his car involuntarily where he is focusing his eyes. Thus if his eyes lock onto a vehicle parked by the side of the road rather than on the road in front of him, he may collide with that car. We have to deal with the moth effect in our walk with the Lord if we look back in our Christian life or to the right or left. We will not only stop moving forward, but will begin to head in the direction we are looking. But if we choose to obey and move forward in faith looking to Jesus, we will find ourselves drawing closer to Him and becoming more like Him in the process. Hebrews chapter 12 verses 1 through 3 says, Therefore let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him 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 sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Here then is the secret that kept Jesus going, the joy beyond the cross. The secret that kept Paul going and the one that keeps Samuel going is the joy of looking to Jesus. The Lord may ask us to do something that opposes every grain of logic within us. Our emotions may rise up in protest against it. Those around us may do their best to convince us to look back. The only way we will have the strength to do what God asks us to do is by keeping our eyes on Jesus. The Christian life, according to the author of Hebrews, is like running a race. We have laid aside everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. We have come to the point where we are willing to break from the past and begin a new life in Jesus. As we start our race, we face hardships and distractions. Our enemy knows our weaknesses and tries his best to put us out of the race. But as we begin the course and strain our eyes down the track toward the finish line, we see someone familiar. It is Jesus. He has finished His race and is waiting for us. If He has already completed the race, so can we. As we focus our eyes on Him, all the sounds and sights that distract us from the race fade away. We can even forget our weariness as we run steadily down the track, our eyes fixed on Jesus only. Our race is not yet completed, of course. We face daily, hourly, minute-by-minute choices to keep looking forward. We can be sure there will continue to be difficulties and distractions. Sometimes we stumble and fall and have to repent of our sins. But we can be sure Jesus will be waiting for us at the finish line. Paul told the Philippians that he knew he had not arrived spiritually. Sin chapter 3 verses 13 and 14. But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward that what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. This is the secret to accepting the cross, to paying the price, no matter how great, no matter what others say. Jesus endured the cross, the pain, the agony, the shame, and the suffering, for the joy set before Him. He looked beyond the cross and saw the joy that was waiting. This is what enabled Him to endure the horrible suffering and death He experienced for us. What will it take for you to be able to pick up your cross daily and follow Jesus? How can you possibly pay the price that is required of you? You can do it only as you look beyond the cross and see the joy that is set before you, joy that is indescribable and glorious, joy that will make every ounce of suffering and inconvenience worth it all. I do not know where you are in your spiritual life, but I pray that the enemy will not steal away your affection from the one who has paid with His blood to redeem you. I pray that you will not walk away from Him. I pray that you'll be willing to pay the price in order to follow Jesus. It is for those more than two billion souls who have not heard the gospel that we must live. It is for them that we must give up the comfortable life this world offers us. For them, we must be willing to live a life that people misunderstand, willing to walk away from all that we could accumulate on this earth and be content with what the Lord gives us. While you're on this earth, make it your life's ambition to take as many souls as possible with you to heaven. God will give you the grace to live this life as He calls you. In the light of eternity, the battle is really not that long. I pray that you will look beyond the cross, beyond the pain and sacrifice, and see Jesus waiting there for you. The joy that awaits you is far greater than any price you have to pay.