What Then Will We Have?
There is an interesting passage of Scripture found in Matthew 19, when Jesus encounters the rich young man. As you may recall, the man was unwilling to leave everything behind to follow Jesus. During the discussion Peter said, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” (Matthew 19:27; ESV)
The early disciples had left everything behind. Fishing nets. Tax collection tables. Other ventures. Family. Friends. And Peter probably said what was on everyone’s mind. “We have left it all to follow you, so what will we gain from doing so?”
It’s a great question. There is a cost we incur from following Jesus. We decide to make him Lord of our lives and are obedient to him through the declaration of our faith, our repentance from past lifestyles and being buried in the waters of baptism. And in the process, it may impact on our career, our family relationships and our day-to-day activities of life. When my children were making that decision for themselves, I told them that this one decision impacted every future decision they would ever make. Education, choice of friends, choice of spouse, career, lifestyle, to name a few.
And so it is with all of us. More than 45 years ago my wife and I made the decision to become serious followers of Jesus. And that decision has been at the center of every decision we have made since then. When I felt the direction to go back to school to study preaching ministries, we were confronted with a choice between two different schools to attend, one just a couple of hours from home and one several states away. And if that wasn’t difficult enough, at the same time I was also offered a great business opportunity that was tempting as well. Three possible choices. After much prayer and consideration, we took the road that led us three states away from home. It offered an education at a low cost, gave us opportunity to minster and serve while I was in school, and opened our eyes to how God keeps every promise.
This was before the days of cell phones, FaceTime and internet. When every phone call cost money to make, we couldn’t keep in touch with our family as easily as it would be today. We took two children away from grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We left family, friends, church family, work family all behind to follow what we believed to be the path God wanted us to go on. It wasn’t easy. We could no longer make a quick trip to either Mom and Dad’s house when we needed advice or assistance. We missed out on a lot of holiday gatherings and summer cookouts. Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings – all things that took a lot of planning and sacrifice to attend now. It was definitely a difficult time for us. An easy time to ask the question along with Peter and the other disciples, “Hey God! We have left it all to follow you, so what will we gain from doing so?”
Back in Matthew 19, Jesus replied to Peter in verse 28 with a specific reward to be given to the twelve. And then in verse 29 he followed that up with a promise that still holds true today. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29; ESV). And maybe not so amazingly, we found this to be a true promise in our own lives as well. Leaving behind family and friends provided us with the opportunity to add new friends. And many times these new friends became our new family. Brothers, Sisters, Moms, Dads, grandparents for our kids. Tens and dozens and over time that has quite possibly grown into a hundredfold for us. People we never would have known have become quite dear to us all because of the decision to put God first in all our decisions and to follow his leading wherever it would take us. We’ve made many moves in the last 45 years, and we have never found that God has ever let us down on this promise. Hundreds of times over.
But there is a part of that promise in Matthew 19:29 that carries even more importance than the promise to provide for us when we give up something for his service. “And will inherit eternal life” are the last five words of this verse. Those who give up everything for God’s service will be rewarded in this life many time over, and in the next life for all of eternity. “What then will we have?” Everything. Forever and ever. Amen.
-Phil Miller