Daily Devotion

February 21, 2013

The Cost of a God-Given Dream (2)


“I have worked…been in prison…been flogged.” 2Co 11:23 NIV

Second, there’s the ongoing cost. We all want what successful people have. The problem is, we don’t want to pay the price they paid initially, and continue to pay every day. Paul spells out the true story behind his success: “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was [stoned], three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own [countrymen], in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches” (2Co 11:23-28 NIV).

Most of us have a vague notion that someday we’ll have to make sacrifices, but the price will have to be paid sooner than we think. Not expecting that, many of us become discouraged. Some of us table our dreams, putting them on hold. Others have abandoned them entirely. The question you must answer is: “Twenty-five years from now, what will I wish I had done today?” That’s the cost of a God-given dream.

 

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