The brutal slaying of 21 Coptic Christians by ISIS this weekend serves as a grim start to the season of Lent. While Lent is often celebrated as a time of sacrifice and inflection, today it seems more of a reminder that there is a price for our faith.
As our hearts are heavy and our prayers go out to the families of these 21 brothers in Christ, let us also focus on discipleship. Let the Church hear this message again and again. There is a cost to discipleship. There is a figure for service to the Savior. There is a price when one decides to follow Jesus.
These tenets are not new. Jesus teaches His disciples that they will be ridiculed, reviled, and rejected. There is a hard road for us to travel as we grow stronger in faith. Matthew 10:22 shares, “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”
Those are not easy words to hear, but they allow us to focus on what is truly important and to keep our perspective. While there is a great price to pay in service, one will also find value in the salvation of Christ. There is something greater than all my hardships and struggles. There is something bigger than all my troubles. The value of Jesus.
The point becomes clear in Matthew 10:32, “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.”
As hardships, struggles, and difficulties come your way remember the examples we see in Scripture; hold on to your confession, stand fast in the truth, and endure to the end. The value of Jesus will soon be clear.
