If I Follow Christ, What's in it for Me?

If anyone has ever asked you to do something hard, and it sounded like there was no good that could come from doing it, chances are you asked the person, "What's in it for me?" Honestly, that is a valid question. Humans are not prone to taking risks, unless they are aware of possible rewards they could receive. Here's a simple example: When I pour myself a tall glass of milk, I risk spilling the milk and having to clean it up. The reward I gain, though, for pouring the milk in my glass is I get to drink a refreshing glass of milk. That's my risk verses my reward.

The risk of being a Christian is quite clear. Jesus says, "Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). You must deny what you want, and instead take up what Jesus wants for you. What Jesus wants for you, is to take up your cross. Taking up one's cross, means just what it sounds like; willingly taking on torture unto death the same way Jesus did. That's what happened to all of Jesus' disciples. Peter, Paul, John, Stephen and Jesus' brother James were all tortured unto death for following Jesus. They all had lives they wanted to live, before they met Christ, but after they met Him, they denied themselves what they wanted and followed Christ, until they died. There's your risk; plain and simple. Following Jesus means you will not get what you want, and you will be tortured (in whatever form that may take), and you will die.

That's the risk. So, "What's in it for me?"

When you give your life to Jesus and follow Him as His disciple, you get a gift. Yes. Following Jesus means you get a free gift directly from God, and you can start using that gift in this lifetime. What is that gift? Well, there are many possible gifts you could receive from God. You could receive wisdom or knowledge through the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8). You could receive a desire to cheerfully share your possessions and give charitably to others (Romans 12:8). You could receive the gift of encouraging and lifting up others (Romans 12:8). You could receive the gitf of having great, maybe even unwaivering, trust in the Lord (1 Corinthians 12:9). You could also receive the gift of being able to heal others (1 Corinthians 12:9). You could get the gift of being able to speak fluently in a different language (1 Corinthians 12:10). You could even receive the gift of discernment to rightly understand the Word of God (1 Corinthians 12:10). Any one of these possibilities, along with plenty more, could be given to you, when you follow Christ.

In the days after Jesus ascended into heaven and His apostles remained on earth
they were given the spiritual gift to evangelize in various languages (Acts 2:1-6).

Please note, no one person is going to get all of these gifts, or even a large amount of them. Paul writes that we all have different gifts (Romans 12:8), and that gifts among Christians work together like parts of a body. Pay careful attention to what Paul writes here in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 12 to 14:

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body-whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Only people who have been baptized by the Spirit (that is to say are followers of Jesus) have any of the afforementioned gifts. No one person gets all of them, because God has ordained that Christians will have to work together with each other for our common good. When we are in Christ, no title about us matters more than the title of "Christian." This is so much so that any other titles applicable to ourselves no longer matter; like they don't even exist (Galatians 3:28). What matters is that we are in the body of Christ, and we are working for His good.

Now, all I've done so far is tell you about all the good Spiritual gifts that you can receive from being a follower of Christ. Take any of those gifts, even the gift of miraculous powers (1 Corinthians 12:10), and it pales in comparison to the greatest reward you get from following Christ.

When you follow Christ, you get Christ. That is the reward you gain for your risks, and this reward has infinite value. 

Jesus says to His followers, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). You will have a fruitful life, because you have Jesus; a life full of purpose and worthwhile abundance (John 10:10). You'll also have a fruitful afterlife. Those in Christ will inherit a place in the Kingdom of God. Christ's followers are known as children of God. Paul writes, "Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory" (Romans 8:17). Yes, we take up our cross as Jesus did, and we die for following Christ, but we will also share in glorifying the Father as Jesus did. One day we who have been made alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:5), will all together sing praises to God, proclaiming, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" (Revelation 5:13). That, truly, is what is in it for you and me; an eternity of praise and glory with our creator, as a royal heir in His Kingdom.

All of God's followers and all of His angels
will sing praises unto Him (Revelation 5:11-13).

With what I have just told you about the risk and reward of following Jesus, now read these words from the Lamb of God, as they are written down in Matthew chapter 6 verses 31 to 33:

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Don't focus on the gifts you get from following God. Focus on the beatiful and good God who will give you wonderful gifts. Seek His Kingdom above all things, and He will give you all the rewards you need to meet the risks of following and serving Him. What's in it for you is better than either one of us could imagine.

I can only imagine

What it will be like

When I walk by Your side

I can only imagine

What my eyes would see

When Your face is before me

I can only imagine

-MercyMe

Sources

• The Bible (New International Version)
• Got Questions: Take up your Cross
• Wretched: Ten Gifts from the Spirit
• MercyMe: I can Only Imagine