Cost and Rewards

In the New Testament we see the story of Jesus unfold and follow the work of the apostles. Reading through the letters we can tend to focus on the principles to live by and skim over the suffering of those who taught and shared the gospel. In our own lives, we know it comes with a cost, and I think we do the same thing. We skim over the costs as reasons why we quietly live instead of boldly sharing. If we share the gospel, we could lose friends and create conflict. As a me, this is rough to recognize.

Enneagram Seven

This morning I listened to a podcast on the Enneagram. For those who don’t know what the Enneagram is, it is a tool to help better understand our personal motivations to grow and live as the best, healthiest versions of ourselves. The Enneagram also helps us grow more empathetic to others as we understand the fears and motivators of our family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. There are 9 core types for the Enneagram and I am so not an expert because it can get real deep. In my self-study, I find myself an Enneagram 7 with a wing 8 (meaning I identify mostly as a 7, but have tendencies to lean 8).

As an Enneagram 7, I love fun and hanging out with friends! I adore new experiences and would rather go somewhere different than return to somewhere familiar. However, it isn’t all fun and games…as much as I would like… Sevens follow fun because we avoid pain. I would say I am an excellent pain avoider – emotional and physical. No kidding, I don’t like driving a car on even slightly sideways surfaces because I think gravity wants to injure me. I will park farther away to find a flat surface and call it an adventure before I whip my whip onto a cattywampus road. In a conversation diving towards serious or tense, I am the comedic relief or distraction. Even boredom fits the emotional pain category – I will find someone to talk to…anywhere…even in traffic jams on the Interstate in Nashville. Back-to-back appointments give me raw feelings of entrapment.

FOMO is real.

And if you want to truly shake my core, don’t invite me or inform me about an event or something we are working on together. FOMO (fear of missing out) gets mocked on the internet, but y’all FOMO existed long before Instagram. We just didn’t feel the pain of it in real time by ourselves; instead we masked our facial expressions at the lunch table when the outing got accidentally mentioned. [We will do a deeper dive on Enneagram next week!]

Cost and Reward of Following Jesus

Social Exchange Theory (SET) exists in several academic circles to help explain different situations. In communication research SET explains the why behind people staying in relationships or you can use SET when making decisions. [I think Sevens are masters of SET in order to decide how, when, where…to spend time for the most fun and least pain.] Ultimately, there are costs and rewards when making a decision. If we go with the relationship example, there are costs of time, money, space, freedom in your schedule, emotional risks etc. There are also rewards of support, advice, larger network, emotional rewards, etc.

People will examine their relationships by analyzing the cost and reward ratio. This evaluation leads to comparison level of alternatives. There are different details that goes along with comparison levels, I won’t get into the weeds of those. All we need to know are people take their analysis and then compare the results to potential alternatives. Is the outcome better or worse to being single? Is the outcome better or worse than the idea of being with someone else? Is the outcome great and there is no desire to compare?

I tell you all of those things to frame this – following Jesus ain’t easy because you will experience pain, you will be left out, you will lose relationships, you will experience costs when following Jesus. We are called to be obedient to God. Period. Yet, we weigh the cost of obedience with the alternatives without consideration to the reward. We ask does this keep me comfortable? Does this keep me safe? Instead of saying yes and moving forward, asking God for courage at each step.

Seamless Connection

This work simply will not be easy. As we worked through week 6 of the Seamless study we see the suffering of the apostles as they live out the Great Commission. The letters of Paul written from prison… I mean really go read Ephesians and remember where Paul is as he writes these words of God’s faithfulness.

• I’ve lost people I considered friends because Jesus got “too loud”.
• My friend count on social media has dropped because instead of asking, people assumed and rejected me without conversation.
• I’ve hit like on a check-in all while wondering why I wasn’t invited or included.
• My heart has been wounded by missing out on information on team projects or seeing group pictures posted.

I can easily discredit these costs, they aren’t flashy or dramatic. Nonetheless, they cut pretty deep – especially for this Seven. Saying yes to the call of God will produce suffering, but we aren’t alone and God is faithful. Count the costs – not to negotiate with God – but to prayerfully prepare for the work of the Gospel.

Seamless Week 6 Bullet Points:

• Paul was 24 when Stephen died and Paul was saved.
• Paul was 36 at his 1st missionary journey (12 years).
• “The law can’t help us; only the Lord can.”
• Paul writes letters from prison; ie: letter to Ephesians; Philippians
• 1 Timothy 1:16-17
• Professing Christians should exhibit actions to support their claim; fruit/evidence
• Putting my name in the scripture – whoa. 2 Timothy 4:1-2 & 5
• Revelation – new earth … “and so we wait”

I would love to know, do you feel more confident in your Bible knowledge after finishing this study? It ignited my desire to better understand scripture, and I pray it does the same for you! Comment your favorite ah-ha moments, day, or week below!

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