What You're Missing Out On By Being A Christian

When a person becomes a Christian and commits to God, they are forced to basically start their life from scratch. The things that have to be given up are endless, and here are just a few:

1) Friends: Before I committed to God, I couldn't count the number of friends that I had on my fingers. I wasn't the most popular person, but I did have a lot of friends. Nonetheless, these friends were people that cussed, drank, and partied. So, I had a decision to make; friends or God. I didn't really even have to make the choice because once I wasn't accepting of their sin, they stopped being my friend. Serving God might mean that we lose our friends, and it can feel really lonely, but giving up the friends that will only harm our relationship with God is worth it.

2) Dating: This is a biggie for me. Guys that are both worth dating and a Christian are few and far between. As a Christian, you might be forced to wait much longer than the average person to find the right individual. I personally hate this. I thought it would be much easier to find a spouse, but once you begin to look, even if they say they are Christian, not many people are actually following God.

3) Hip Clothing: Before I began serving God, I was wearing the short shorts and revealing tops. I was wearing what was in style, and I thought I was pretty cool. Though, once I started serving God, and I would wear something like that, I just wanted to hide. It felt like one of those 'giving a speech in your underwear' dreams. I was embarrassed by showing the world my body because modesty is of God. Being a Christian entails representing God, and that means ditching the revealing clothing.

4) Popular Media: Movies, music, celebrities; it seems that the majority of movies these days should be rated R. Even the PG-13 are beginning to have content that used to be considered an R rating. The constant cursing and large amount of sexual content is poison to our walk with God. Not to mention, all of the cursing in music today. It seems that especially rappers cannot go a sentence without cussing. It can be really hard to stay away from popular media. It will stop you from being able to talk to other people about these things, and you may get mocked for not knowing what's going on in the world, but that will end one day when we are with Jesus.

Though there are many things that are given up to benefit our walk with God, the gains are much greater.

1) The Greatest Friend: A thousand friends couldn't add up to how great of a friend God is. God made the greatest sacrifice for us by sending us His Son to take away our sin. What friend on Earth can you think of that would do that? Unlike friends in the world, God is always with us in our hearts. We are always able to get in touch with Him, and He blesses us beyond belief. He is the reason for every breath that we take, and He is the way to pure joy.

2) Heaven: As a Christian, we have our ticket to Heaven. A glorious place where we will sing and praise God forevermore. A place without pain, suffering, tears, or hurt. Heaven will last forever, and once we get there, we will see things so incredible, we won't want it to end.

3) Holy Book: God gave us the Bible as a set of laws to live by, and it does just that. It shows us that we need to be saved, then it tells us how to live, and it provides entertainment. The Bible isn't commonly described as entertainment, but it is for Christians. Reading all the stories and miracles that are in the Bible are so interesting when considering how God planned it all. It's such an encouragement to see the work that God did in the peoples' lives in the Bible, and it provides hope by explaining our future in Heaven.

4) Sisters and Brothers: Having a family in Christ is one of the biggest blessings of being a Christian. Having people in life that believe the same things, and are looking toward the same goals can be a great encouragement, which is exactly what God planned. He created the bond between Christians, so that we would have someone to talk with, be encouraged by, and worship God together. He knew that times would get tough, and that's why we have sisters and brothers in Christ.

Whenever you are feeling discouraged by all of the things that you can't do as a Christian, consider the things that you have because of your belief. The pros of being a Christian definitely outweigh the pros of living in sin. Once saved, we become the minority, compared to the number of people living in sin, which makes us special. Being different from the world may come with some grief, but it is worth fighting for. The world might turn against you, but we have a God that never will.