Is It Worth It?

Have you struggled many times asking yourself, "is it worth it?"


There are many questions that you may have had to ask yourself:
Is it worth giving up everything to follow after Jesus?
Is it worth surrendering your life to Him?
Is it worth denying yourself and taking up your cross?


The recent one I have asked myself is:
Is it worth taking a stand for righteousness?


Righteousness means:
acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin


Matthew 5:10
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.


What? Did Jesus really mean that? We can face persecution for the sake of righteousness? By doing the right thing, by acting righteously, we will suffer?


How about the age-old question: Why do bad things happen to good people?


Let's look at the story of Joseph to illustrate how this righteousness thing works. Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery and ended up in Egypt. Potiphar, the man that bought him as a slave, had him work at his house. Potiphar's wife had the hots for Joseph and tried to seduce him on several occasions. One day Joseph and Potiphar's wife are home alone and she tries to get him to sleep with her, but Joseph runs away. She accuses him of trying to rape her and Joseph gets thrown into jail...


Let's pause the story for a moment. It seems like God is being unfair. God allowed Joseph to be sold into slavery and then thrown into jail for a crime he did not commit. Joseph took a stand for righteousness and look where he ended up: in jail. Had Joseph simply slept with Potiphar's wife, he would not have had to suffer the way he did; or so we may think.


Joseph was upright and did not sleep with Potiphar's wife. She set him up and he went to jail, but God was still with him. I asked myself, what if Joseph had slept with Potiphar's wife? What would have happened to him? God would have left him. They could have gotten caught in the act, and as punishment he still would have ended up in jail (without God's protection), or he could have been given the death penalty.


I am certain Joseph would have preferred a life-time of slavery or prison before sinning against God. He was in chains, but he was at peace with God.


Isaiah 57:2
Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.


Think about that the next time you have to make the choice between standing up for righteousness (doing the right thing), or taking the easy way out.