Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?”
Mt 19:27 NLT
A very relatable sentiment, and one I’ve certainly felt and asked in forty-seven years of being a disciple. We don’t necessarily come into salvation understanding the cost required to follow Jesus. I know I didn’t. I came full of expectations of what Jesus was going to do for me. As I grew in the knowledge of His word, I began to see what was required. Every further step demanded I increasingly adopted John’s truth of there being less of me and more of Him. A process of dying to self in order to become a yielded vessel fit for His use. The funny thing (not haha) about this process was that I was in absolute control of how long it took. I understand the wilderness journey of one more time around Mount Sinai. The longer I insist on keeping my interests in the centre of all my questions, the harder it is to hear what He is saying.
So Peter’s question, “What will we get” is met basically with Jesus saying, ‘nothing now.’
“Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.”
While we understand there are benefits to serving Him here and now, we don’t live and work for those. We strive in our service for all things that have eternal value, laying up for ourselves treasure in heaven.
We are to spend and be spent ~ 2 Corinthians. 12:15.
We are to lend expecting nothing in return ~ Luke 6:35.
We are to be the servants that have simply done our duty ~ Luke 17:10.
Through it all, we live with an understanding that a life of willing obedience does come with blessings both here and now but since eternity is, well forever, how much more shall we set our hearts on those rewards.
Jesus reminds us that the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things simply rob our attention and thus our devotion. We end up serving another with our fear and cares. It is a day to continually be pruning any place we are tempted to love the things of this world that pull us away from the reality of the eternal rewards that come from leaving everything to follow Him.
If we who are [abiding] in Christ have hoped only in this life [and this is all there is], then we are of all people most miserable and to be pitied. If we live for only this life, we are of all men most miserable. 1 Corinthians. 15:19 Amplified 2015