Stolen Valor

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   I just recently discovered something about the Oregon State Fair that I never knew. On Labor Day, veterans and first responders and their families get in for free. All this time I had been paying, because we typically went on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. It is a benefit for the service given to our country and our communities. There are some, however, who want the benefit without making the sacrifice. Anyone who has worn the uniform of the U.S. military gets more than a bit upset when they hear stories of people who fraudulently put on the uniform to gain benefits they did not earn. We refer to this activity as "stolen valor," reward without risk, compensation without cost or commitment.

   Matthew 16:24-27 records, "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.'"

   Many people today go around laying claim to the name of Christ. They want all of the blessing and benefit that come with the name. They want the applause and the accolades. Paul writes to Timothy of those "who suppose that godliness is a means of gain (1 Timothy 6:5)." Perhaps you know of people in your circle of life—family, friends, acquaintances, or even people in your church—who want the prize of faith without the price. Often this becomes evident when they make their faith more about them than about Christ.

   Now don't hear what I'm not saying. We do not earn our salvation. Our salvation is by grace through faith apart from works. Jesus paid the price for our redemption through His substitutionary death on the cross. However, for those who wish to follow Christ, there is a cost in this life. We must be willing to embrace the hardships in this life that come with identifying with Christ. The world will hate us. Our friends and even our families may even reject us. Yet we must realize that the eternal benefits and blessing will be worth the sacrifice. Let us challenge people (perhaps even ourselves) to reject a pretense of Christianity, spiritual "stolen valor" as it were, and embrace true Christianity, willingly embracing the price for the sake of the prize.