A life given for a cause greater than one’s own self is a life well spent. Jesus left heaven, lived in perfect obedience, and was crucified by wicked men—yet His death shattered the power of darkness. His total surrender proved He was the Son of God. He warned that His true followers would be hated and even killed. Some believe that living a godly life brings safety, but the truth is, righteousness invites persecution. The world often ignores lukewarm Christians, but those who truly follow Jesus will be watched, accused, harmed, or even killed. The more we follow Him, the more we must be ready to suffer. The cross was not just His destination—it is ours too.
Jesus spoke plainly in John 15:18-20, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” This message tells us that the path of true discipleship is not one of comfort. It is a path filled with trials and heartache, but it leads us to everlasting glory.
Giving ourselves as a living sacrifice invites the wrath of the enemy. He schemes to turn us into a dead sacrifice, thinking to destroy and silence us. He tried this with our Lord Jesus by stirring up the religious leaders, working through the weakness of men, and filling hearts with murderous rage. They drove nails into Jesus’ hands and feet, lifted Him up for all to see, and believed the story would end there. However, as Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us, “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Satan’s plan to silence Jesus through death only became the key to our victory. In His death, our Lord shattered the enemy’s power, proving that what the enemy plans for evil, God turns for His glory.
History bears witness to this truth. When five missionaries—Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, and Roger Youderian—were speared by the Auca Indians in the Amazonian region of Ecuador, it seemed Satan had won. But their sacrifice sparked a mighty harvest. As a result of this sacrifice, over 4,000 men and women – many who were youth – dedicated their lives to missions, carrying the gospel to the ends of the earth. Blood was not spilled in vain; it became the seed from which a rich harvest of souls grew. Jesus declared in John 12:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” Even in death, there is great life. The enemy’s schemes are turned around by the power of God.
Even as we face trials, we have a promise of victory. Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” Yet, in the midst of our suffering, we are never alone. Romans 8:37 encourages us, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Our hope is not found in a life free from pain but in the victory secured on the cross. No trial, no attack of the enemy, and no persecution can separate us from the love of God.
The call to follow Jesus is a call to stand firm—even when the enemy schemes to silence us. Revelation 2:10 exhorts, “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
This is a call to courage. The more we live like Jesus, the more we must be ready to face opposition. Yet, even as we face martyrdom and the dark valley of death, there is a light shining on the other side of this cross. Our Lord Jesus not only gave His life, He rose again, conquering death. As He declared in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live!“
For every true follower who suffers and dies for the sake of Christ’s Kingdom, the promise of resurrection is sure. Death is not the end—it is the doorway to eternal life. The resurrection assures us that our sacrifice is not in vain. It is the hope that brings life beyond the grave, the promise that our faith in Jesus will transform even the darkest moments into the light of everlasting glory.
The life of a true disciple is marked by sacrifice. Our call is not to live in comfort but to live boldly for the sake of Christ. Every hardship, every trial, is a step toward the glory promised by our Savior. Though the enemy may rage and the world may rise against us, we have the victory in Christ. May the light of Christ shine through us, even in the darkest times, reminding us that our reward far outweighs our suffering. And so, with a heart filled with purpose, we embrace our calling. For on the other side of the cross awaits the promise of life everlasting.
— Harold R. Troyer