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Do you ever look at your friends and neighbors and wonder how they have nicer clothes, a bigger car, a finer house, take an expensive vacation every year and eat better than you, and yet, they make about the same salary? Then you think of one great difference: They don’t give a dime to advance the cause of Christ. After all, $150 to $250 per month would buy a lot of “stuff”; but it will also preach a lot of Gospel, and there’s great satisfaction in that. That’s one thing you get for being a Christian.
Have you ever gone to the office or company party where the cocktails were plentiful and the pressure to drink them was powerful? Have you ever been out with the crowd where the beer was passed around and the temptation to “go along” was tremendous? It seemed that they were all having such a good time and you nearly gave in, but then you remembered the many troubles your friends have brought on themselves and the evil things they have done because they were drunk. You also remember the serious health problems, marital problems and those who have lost their jobs because of liquor. Beyond that, the benevolent warnings in God’s Word about strong drink, seeking to protect you from its deadly effects both now and forever, come to mind. You say, “No thank you, I don’t drink.” That’s what you get for being a Christian.
Have you ever left dishes and clothes unwashed, beds unmade, floors unswept to sit up with a sick friend or to wash her clothes and dishes and clean her house? Have you ever let your grass grow another week so you could mow the yard of some elderly widow? Have you ever watched others go about their business and pleasure, never making a sacrifice to run an errand for some shut-in, or comfort someone who is grief-stricken? You have found a joy in serving that others know not. That’s what you get for being a Christian.
Have you ever given up a TV program on Sunday night to be among the saints in worship? Have you ever said, “I’m sorry, I can’t come,” when a school or club function was planned on Wednesday night, because you valued Bible study more? Have you ever cleared your calendar for a whole week because the most important thing in town was a Gospel meeting? You’ve tasted the thrill of increased Bible knowledge, loving fellowship, and seeing souls saved that others have not; and because you put Christ first, He will save you forever! That’s what you get for being a Christian!
[Note: I wrote this article for and it was published in The Edifier, weekly bulletin of Pearl Street Church of Christ, Denton, TX, June 25, 1987, of which I was editor.]
Attribution: From thescripturecache.com; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.
