Count The Cost - The One Year Salt and Light Devotional

2 Timothy 3:10-17

Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12)

IN HIS MID-TWENTIES, William Wilberforce had already been a Member of Parliament for several years when he was faced with a huge decision. The nature of his recent conversion experience put him on the fringes of polite society. Would he continue in public life and face the same contempt some of his evangelical peers had faced? Or would he withdraw from the public eye and devote his life to evangelical work? His friends encouraged the former, and Wilberforce eventually agreed. He resolved to put all of his energy into political pursuits for the good of society. His conservative views would rankle some, but they would change his country for the better. He successfully fought for the abolition of the slave trade and then of slavery itself.

Many Christians face the same sort of conundrum today, perhaps not on so prominent a stage, but certainly in a similarly hostile environment. Biblically informed views are not always welcomed in “polite society,” or, as we would put it today, the mainstream of public opinion. We find ourselves swimming against the tide in an ocean of ideas. That’s normal; Jesus assured his followers many would be persecuted (John 15:18-25), and unwelcomed views fall far short of “persecution” status. Some are called to pull away from the opposition and work within the church. Others are called, like Wilberforce, to go directly into the opposition and work for social change. It’s important to know the situation.

Count the costs, but know that the benefits will always exceed them. Wilberforce changed his nation directly, and much of the world indirectly. He saw some of the rewards of his labor in this life and surely considered his hardships worth the trouble. In eternity, he certainly has experienced the fruit of his labor. You will too. Anchor yourself in Kingdom values and refuse to compromise them in the ever-changing tides of human reasoning. Be sensitive to what others have learned and how they see, but also be insistent on what God has shown you and how he sees. A godly life is worth the resistance you face in living it.

{Lord, strengthen my resolve and increase my fortitude to respond to your voice above all others. I live for an audience of one. Let my devotion reap lasting rewards, be a blessing to my society, and bear eternal fruit for your Kingdom. Amen.