Why Follow Jesus? Part 2
By Greg Sanders

The best promises for this life and beyond this life come by living for Jesus.

We live in a world where everybody wants immediate gratification. We hate to wait. I shared yesterday that following Jesus does have some immediate benefit. However, following Jesus also brings a great promise for the future to your life as well. It has been said that a person’s ability to cope with difficulty is directly tied to their belief about the future. The more you can picture a better and brighter future, the more likely you will be to stay the course and not quit along the journey. Many of the greatest athletes played tournaments and won championships because they chose to play through the pain. What gave them the motivation and stamina to do so was their ability to keep future, the benefits, and the prize before them.

1 Timothy 4:8 “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” Paul goes on to say “This is why we struggle.” Paul is convinced that though serving Jesus and submitting to the work of God in your life may be difficult, it is always worth the pain.

Romans 8:18 reminds us that “… our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Why follow Jesus? It is in following Him that we embrace the greatest future available to mankind. At some point, following Jesus and becoming like Jesus brings real struggle to your life. There will be moments when the immediate results of serving Jesus are hidden and you will have to rely on the promise you have in eternity. However, the hope we have in Him far exceed the worst this life can throw at you. Push through your difficulty today by remembering there is a great hope for your future.

Today’s Challenge: Remember that those who follow Jesus always have a future that is brighter than their past and better than the present.