“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself.”

Richard Wurmbrand: Reaching Towards The Heights

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M A T T H E W 1 6 : 2 4

A boy of twelve was asked what he wished to become. He

answered, “A missionary in Africa.”

“Why?”

“Because then I will be able to hunt lions.”

Many of us have the same mentality. We wish to become good

Christians. Why? In order to have a better piece of heaven.

The right motive for being a good Christian is to be able to bear

a heavier beam of the cross of Christ. The man who is born again

wishes to be a better Christian so that in the future, when he passes

through sorrows, his first question should not be, “How can I

escape?” but, “How can I be useful to the kingdom of God in this

new situation?”

We have no sufferings accidentally. They are all foreordained by

a loving God. The ship with the apostles passed through a tempest

(Matthew 8:23–27). The Lord wished to teach them how to cope

with a storm. They would have to face many.

He will awake in time if you are in danger of perishing. Until

then, suffer silently and work and fight valiantly. It is for this that

you were called to be a Christian, not only to enjoy heaven.

Missionaries are not sent to Africa for the thrill of lion hunting.