Life. Life, Life.

Luke 18:28-30 Peter said to [Jesus], “We have left all we had to follow you!”
   “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”  NIV

Have you ever seen the TurboTax commercials? In one, a kid is in a spelling bee and is given the word “free.” He strains to spell it, “Free. F-R-E-E. Free.” Someone repeats, “Free, free.” I have an appreciation for the add company that came up with that one. They had one point they were trying to get across. They knew that as we watched the commercial, we would be wondering, “Is it really, free, or is there a catch?” Without going into disclaimers and explanations, they just used one repeated word to answer all your questions. Free.

I think life in Jesus is much the same. We know that we will be rewarded in the next life, but we think there is a catch—namely, that this life is going to be completely miserable.  It can easily be argued that when you sacrifice for the kingdom of God, that comes with sacrifice and cost.  However, let us not forget that following Jesus also comes with blessings. He says that whatever we lose in this life, we will receive many times as much—also in this life. The net in this life is gain. The reward in the next life is also gain. So, Jesus says that we get life in this life and life in the next life. Life! Life, life. We should be crystal clear in this: following Jesus brings life! Life, life!