When I was young, I had big dreams for my life. I was a straight-A student and a star athlete, and although I had to put in a lot of hard work and discipline, success seemed to follow me in whatever I did. Naturally, I assumed this would continue into adulthood. Having grown up believing that success was within my control, the result of my efforts alone, I knew I had what it took to be and do anything I wanted. And I had big dreams for my life. But God….

From the time I committed to following Christ and placed myself on His altar as a living sacrifice, I’ve seen all of those dreams dashed, all worldly success thwarted. I don’t write this to seek pity or even to express regret, but to reflect on the difference between God’s values as revealed in the Scriptures and the values of the world.

The world says we can have success. Whether we seek a great career, a comfortable income, the respect of others, a happy family, or to change the world for good, as long as we put in the effort and sacrifice, we will get the results we desire. Prosperity teachers within the church – false teachers! - put their own little spin on this message, claiming that we can indeed have these things, if only we give the credit to God. But God doesn’t promise any of these. These are not His priorities. In fact, sometimes they are His enemies.

What I see throughout Scripture, and in the lives of the saints who have gone before me, as well as in my own life, is that God is most concerned with our single-minded devotion to Him, and He will take everything that competes for our affections.

We like to think and tell one another that God has a great plan for our lives, but we have it backwards: God has made our lives for His plans. We exist for His purposes, not the other way around.

Does this sound unfair? You’re not the first to think so. To the Romans who objected similarly, Paul replied, “Who are you, O human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?' Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?”

The truth is that following Christ has been the loneliest, most heartbreaking, most costly path I could have taken in this life, and it very well may be for you too. It may cost you everything you value right now – your career, your family, your reputation, your life. But I don’t follow Christ because it works for me. I follow Christ because He is the way, the truth, and the life. And He is worth it, no matter the cost.

To my fellow Christian apologists, let’s remember that our calling is not to bring people into the kingdom; our calling is to expose people to the truth and let them decide how they will respond. May we never hide the hard truths for the sake of gaining converts. For what we win them with is what we win them to. If we win people with a false gospel, we have won them to a false gospel, a lie that does not save.

To the false teachers who make promises on behalf of the Lord which you cannot keep, consider this. It would be better for you to have a large millstone hung around your neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea than for you to continue teaching lies. Repent now, for the days are short and the kingdom is near.

To those who know the truth but haven’t yet decided to surrender all for Christ, remember that belief is not enough. For even the demons believe in God and shudder. He calls us to leave behind everything that competes for our affections in order to follow Him, and He will be second to none. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and my God will meet all your needs (not your wants) according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

And to those who are unsure as to whether Christianity really is true, keep seeking. The answers are available, more now than at any time in history. You will find them if you look. There is no richer or more satisfying use of the mind than to seek and to know the God of the universe, who alone fits the evidence and makes sense of all of reality. Only then will you be in a position to decide whether you want to walk through the narrow gate into all truth and light.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

­