We live in a generation that sort of thinks that being a Christian means missing out on the most unique and exquisite experiences and/or adventures of life. It can be sex, drinking, living your life on the go, basically doing whatever you want whenever you want, however you want, you get the idea. Thus, serving God must be boring, do not go with modernity, and/or bear too big a cost, right? Well, guess what? That's not exactly all there's to it.
Sure, there's a cost to pay if we are to follow Jesus, and that includes submitting our lives, wills, and everything to Jesus (Mt 16:24) and living our lives God's way, but that doesn't mean that we are necessarily missing out on anything.
You see, oftentimes, we want or do pursue earthly things so that we get pleasure, feel something, follow the masses, forget the problems, seem or look cool, etc. But:
What if I told you that serving God gives us all that the world gives (the good anyway) and so much more because living for God is the real stuff?
What if I told you that serving God doesn't just give happiness like money sometimes does but also gives everlasting joy (Ps 16:11)?
What if I told you that following Jesus doesn't just give peace depending on present circumstances but gives peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:6-7) independent of any circumstance?
What if I told you that the blessings of God are just that? Real blessings without any sorrow (Prov 10:22)?
What if I told you that when you choose God you get to enjoy being His for all eternity and with Him it's from glory to glory, which means that after this life, there's an even better one (Lk 18:29-30)?
The point that I am trying to make is, when we choose living for God, we're not signing away the "best" lives we could've had. We're not missing out on anything worth having or experiencing. On the contrary, we are making the best decision of our lives. We're choosing to walk through this life with its author: the all-good, all-loving, all-knowing, all-powerful, and sovereign God. Cool, right?
Of course, I would be lying if I said that following Jesus is without any hardships. In fact, there are lots of them, but problems are no stranger to any living person—whether a believer or not. But note this: when you choose Jesus, he walks with you through all those hardships and provides a way out of them (Heb 2:18; 1 Cor 10:13). [More on the existence of God and suffering later].
So, whether you choose to follow God or just live however you please, know that for either choice, there is a cost. But I must tell you that there are differences in the costs:
Choosing God may have a seemingly great 'earthly' cost, but it also comes with a great eternal reward.
Choosing to live for yourself may seem as if it has a small or no cost momentarily, but make no mistake: there's a huge cost: eternal condemnation.
So, choose wisely!
This is very powerful really. God bless you.