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In Mark 10:28-30, Peter attempts to hedge his bet. He asked Jesus what he and the others who had left all could expect in return. Jesus didn’t hesitate. He promised that anyone who gave up” house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother , or wife, or children, or lands” for his sake and the gospel’s would receive “an hundred fold in this time and in the world to come eternal life.” In other words, believers who step out for Jesus as did Peter and his friends take no risk whatsoever. But let us not be too quick to jump to conclusions. This is not the whole story. Most believers aren’t as committed as was Peter nor do they have the same tutor (Jesus), and therefore most believers cannot claim the same promise.
Actually, a believer has a similar risk as that taken by an old man who is given a computer by his grandson. The old man (I use the old man metaphor, because most young people understand computers.) accepts the computer––after all it was free––and he takes it out of the box and puts it on the dining room table where friends and neighbors who come by can see it, but he makes no effort to learn how to use it. He refuses to take a course or even get a book to help him. As a result the computer becomes dusty and its value and great potential are never utilized.
One might say that the old man took no risk, but he did, because his life is not anything like what it could have been. The risk he took is in lost potential. Most of the computer’s value is never realized, because the new owner does not fully comprehend the extent of the power he has at his disposal, nor does he make any effort to study and think and discover the truth he does not yet understand.
The risk a believer takes is far greater. Not only can he fail to realize the value of living with the most powerful force in the universe, but he can completely miss out on the eternal life portion of Jesus’ promise. The Spirit of God has no interest in spending eternity with people who ignore him even if they are believers.
In Peter’s case, he had actually given up very little except time. He still had his wife and family (Mark 1:30), his home (Mark 1:29), and his fishing boat (Luke 5:3). And most believers--like Peter--give up very little. The Gospel is free, and the opportunities that the Spirit will send the believer’s way will far exceed any personal loss (Roman’s 8:18).
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