Chapter 1 A Consecrated Life - Far Eastern Bible College

But our Lord Jesus Christ is worthy. He is not just any man. He is
the unique only-begotten Son of God, the firstborn of all Creation, He is
the eternal Living Word through Whom God created all things. He alone
is worthy above all things, of any costly sacrifice, since He is the source
of all life itself.
And if Christ has saved us and has become our Lord, then there are
three more things that must motivate us to be willing to die for Him.
Firstly, our lives rightfully belong to Him. Our lives are no longer our
own, but Christ’s. We have been bought with His own precious blood.
And therefore, if we are called upon to live, then let us live for Him, and
if we are ever called upon to die, then let it also be for Him. Secondly,
we must remember that Christ has died for us. Jesus sacrificed His own
life for our salvation. Dying for Him is not doing something that He
Himself would not do for us. If I am willing to die for Christ, I would
only be doing what He was willing to do for me.
Thirdly if we have to die for Him, we obtain the privilege of
becoming like Him not only in life, but also in death. In Philippians
3:10, the Apostle Paul expressed his desire to know Christ, to know the
power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering, being
made conformable unto His death.
Since our Lord was slain by men for the sake of God’s Kingdom, it
actually becomes the privilege of all who follow Him to be slain for the
same cause, if it is required of us to be so. John 15:20–21 says,
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not
greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also
persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep
yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my
name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
1 Peter 2:21 says, “For even hereunto were ye called: because
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow
his steps.” If the Lord so chooses us to glorify Him by suffering
persecution for His sake, let us therefore regard it as our great privilege
to suffer for Him, and to demonstrate our willingness to suffer for
Christ’s sake by putting up no resistance at all, but allow ourselves to be
afflicted or killed like a lamb being brought to the slaughter.
92 A Consecrated Life