Is Being A Christ-Follower Worth It? 4 Unshakable Reasons

I recently caught several installments of a very interesting T.V. series about notable men who began their infamous careers around the beginning of the 20^th century. One of them, John D. Torrio, was a very successful man by earthly standards. He dodged death several times, financially prospered in the midst of a devastated economy, and died extremely wealthy at the ripe age of 75.

His prosperity may have been appalling in a woeful era where Americans died by the thousands on French battlefields in World War I, and where many would later suffer through the Great Depression—even World War II. But Torrio, known as “The Fox” to his associates, wasn’t a typical American; he was a rich gangster, depleting the pockets of Chicagoans by supplying illegal drink, gambling and prostitution. Even in an environment of corruption and killing, Torrio’s levelheaded way of doing gangster business deeply influenced a young, up-and-coming mobster—Al Capone—along with many others.

To be absolutely clear, this illicit behavior is an abomination to God (Prov. 6:16-19). But the crazy truth is, ruthless cutthroat criminals may thrive in their perverse deeds, and then go home to tenderly dote on their own children.

Jesus said:

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full (Luke 6:32-34, NIV).

Also, we read in Scripture that even the unrighteous give good gifts to their children (Matt. 7:9-11); God has planted knowledge deep in the heart of man concerning truth and God (Rom. 1:18-20; Jude 1:10). In Romans 1:32, Paul writes: “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them” (NIV).

Torrio, Capone and their criminal comrades did some very horrific things that obviously were contrary to everything Christianity represents—even though, ironically, many in the ‘Chicago Outfit’ were confirmed Catholics.

So why is it that some unrighteous people seem to prosper and many Christians do not? Clearly, God despises sin and has placed judgment upon mankind, who “received in themselves the due penalty for their error” (Rom. 1:26, NIV). Psalm 1:3 speaks of the righteous person, saying, “In all that he does, he prospers.” But how can this be so when there are criminals and unrighteous people who continue to flourish in their wicked enterprises and seemingly go unscathed (Mal. 3:15; Ps. 44:20-22)?

Psalm 37:7 says: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes” (NIV). The Christ-follower’s perspective must be that living for God is very much worth it! Here are four eternal things that a Christian must understand can never be shaken:

1            God’s Throne (Ps. 45:6; Lam. 5:19)

n            God’s Word (Mark 13:31; I Pet. 1:24-25)

           
        God’s Church (Matt. 16:18; 1 Cor. 3:11

        God’s Salvation (John 10:27-29; Rom. 8:38-39; 2 Tim. 1:12)

What makes living for Christ worth it? Basically, we were created to worship God (Rev. 4:9-11), and Christ has made it possible. Due to the fall of man in the Garden, all have sinned and need a Savior to reestablish fellowship with the Creator (Rom. 3:23).

An angel in the book of Revelation (19:10) emphatically stated, "Worship God!" This mandate is one of many ways the unrighteous are misguided, including the fact that: 1) they refuse the Almighty’s offer of salvation to try and extract on their own terms all they can get from life apart from a holy God [Prov. 16:5]; and  2) they may prosper for a short time, but in the end it’s impossible to stand before God’s throne and His Word without Christ’s salvation, and independent of His Bride, the Church.

Thank God that those who have given their lives in worship to God while on earth will enjoy His eternal presence in heaven. That pleasure is worth all of the momentary difficulty we may face in this life (2 Cor. 4:17-18)!