Pain is Pleasure?

To stay on the theme of blogs inspired by songs, this one is inspired by "Jesus I my Cross have Taken" This is a classic old hymn with lyrics that are nothing short of shocking!
I love the progression of this song, as it starts out with justification and moves through sanctification and ends with glorification. My favorite verse, however, is the third which reads

Go, then, earthly fame and treasure!
Come, disaster, scorn, and pain!
In Thy service, pain is pleasure;
With Thy favor, loss is gain.

I encourage you to slowly reread those lyrics and take a moment to meditate on what they say. Like I mentioned above, these lyrics, to the world are shocking. It is complete and utter foolishness and idiocy to the world in which we live. Brethern, do not be decieved, the Christian life is to be lived in COMPLETELY different from the way in which the world lives. We are going directly up stream and there is no other way around it than that. If we truly desire to live the lives we are called and commanded to live, we must first understand that we are living exactly opposite from how the world lives. But before I digress too much I will get back on the topic to which I originally set out to discuss, the above lyrics.

These lyrics are kind that truly require deep and serious meditation. There is no much that I can write outside of asking you, my reader, a series of questions.

• Do you really believe these lyrics to be true of your life?
• Do you really care less about earthy riches and fame?
• Do you really believe that pain and suffering for the name of Christ is pleasure?
• Can you lose all that is around you, family, friends, material possessions and still sing that the Lord is good?
• Do you love the Lord enough that everything else is so worthless and meaningless that it doesnt matter where you live or how you are persecuted but all that does matter is that you are serving the Lord and following His every command?

Think about it, pray about it. We're called to live radical lives, but the only question is... are we?