Worth Living (and Dying) For

By Greg Laurie, Op-ed contributor Wednesday, October 06, 2010

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
- 2 Timothy 2:3

If you want to be a Christian, it is not going to be easy. Wimps need not apply. But if you want to be a man or woman of God, this is what Jesus says about living this life in the real world:

"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:11–12)

Our faith in Jesus Christ is worth living for. And our faith in Jesus Christ is worth dying for. But if it is not worth dying for, then it is certainly not worth living for. So we need to man up-or woman up-and be mature followers of Jesus Christ.

For some, it is not the kind of life they want to live. For others, it is very appealing. But here is what we need to know: as we pursue Christ and put God first, happiness will come as a byproduct. Happiness will not come as a result of chasing after it; we will never find happiness from seeking it. But if we seek God and put Him first in our lives, we will end up being happy people.

Not only that, but Jesus promises the guaranteed destination of heaven to the person who believes. No prophet or guru or religious leader can bring that to us. Nor can any material thing. Nor can any relationship. No personal experience can bring it. But Christ can-as we follow Him and as we believe in Him.