DAY 16 of 24 Day Challenge (JAN 23)

In Matthew 16:24-28, Jesus says in order to follow Him one must deny himself and take up his cross to follow Jesus. Salvation is a free and perfect gift from God; however, following Christ will be costly in this life. Because the world hates Jesus it will certainly hate those who follow after Him. The temptation is to avoid having a costly life and therefore to remain at distance from the Lord in order to avoid the troubles that come with associating with our Lord. Many people are not willing to trade in the pleasures of this world for the glory of heaven. Following Jesus means you will turn your back on pursuing the temporal things of this world. What are all the power, pleasures, and wealth of this temporal world really worth to us if we were to lose the joy and blessings of the eternal world?