"Jesus said, 'Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life."
— Mark 10:29-30
We all make sacrifices at one point or another—some small ones that aren't a big deal and some big ones that leave a scare. But are all the sacrifices we make worth it? Is the return on invested sacrifice truly greater than the pain and suffering that some of us Christians make in this lifetime?
The call to "pick up our cross" is a strong Christian message that we must all live and abide by. We might have to let go of a relationship, a habit, a mindset, a certain possession in order to follow Christ and grow stronger in our relationship with Him.
But is it really worth it? Does Jesus really promise to repay every sacrifice made?
One thing many of us desire in any relationship, whether with God or anyone else, is reciprocity. We give something and get something back in return. Often we approach God with this attitude: "Lord, I'm going to give up this habit of mine, but you better bless me," or, "Lord, I commit to the tithe, but you better make sure that I really get a hundredfold back."
While God desires for us to be expectant of His blessing, there is something wrong with this picture. Though we sacrifice, we must always remember who's the Lord in the relationship. An attitude of entitlement, seeking nothing but the things God adds to us, only goes to show how one does not truly look up to God as master but as a servant. God does want to serve us, but He is not our servant.
Does God truly repay every sacrifice we give for Him? That and so much more, but it doesn't always come back the way we expect it to. We sacrifice a bad financial habit expecting God to give us a raise at work, but instead He gives us more savings and more responsibility. We sacrifice a toxic relationship expecting a person gets punished, but instead God gives us the peace in forgiveness.
God is more than able to pay back every sacrifice. And truth be told, let us never forget that it was He who first sacrificed and gave up His all for us even when we did not deserve it or want it.
There is no chance at reciprocity in our relationship with God because we can never sacrifice enough for the great prize that He has given us: a chance to be with Him for all eternity and live in a life beyond blessed and joyous with Christ forever.
