God is good, and this is a truth. But does the fact that God is good imply that we will never have struggles, never live through difficult moments, or never experience times of suffering? Of course not. On the contrary, as Christians, we are asked to make sacrifices in order to walk uprightly in the way of the Lord, and we will often face struggles that will test our faith and our character.

We might ask ourselves: is it truly worth living a Christian life if, on one hand, you have to make sacrifices and, on the other, you face struggles? I do not want to be the one to answer, but I want someone much more mature than me, much more experienced than me, to give the answer. And I am referring to the apostle Paul.

In Philippians 3:4-6:

"Though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless."

While in Acts 22:3 we are told:

"I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today."

These verses tell us several interesting things about Paul's life. First of all, we can see that Paul had a very clear genealogy, very well-traced back to Benjamin. While this might not be relevant to us, for the society of that era, it was very important to have a precise genealogy, and especially to have people who were influential or powerful in one's family line. Furthermore, he tells us that he studied at the feet of Gamaliel. Gamaliel was one of the best teachers of his time. For us, it would be the equivalent of saying,"I studied at a prestigious university." Finally, we are told that he was a Pharisee. While for us the word Pharisee is an insult—because it is like saying hypocrite or fake—originally, the Pharisees were people who deeply cared about the law of God and lived in obedience to it. In fact, Paul states that concerning the righteousness which is in the law, he was blameless.

So, drawing a profile of Paul, we can see that he was a morally highly elevated person who had an excellent education. He was a member of society's elite. And let us see how he evaluates all of this after he comes to know Christ.

In Philippians 3:7-11 we are told:

"But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformity to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."

There isn't much to say here. Paul tells us: "I had a high position, I was a respected member of society. I had notoriety, I was a member of the elite." But I consider all of this as mere rubbish compared to the excellence of knowing Christ. Perhaps God is asking you to make sacrifices too—maybe to leave your job, maybe to leave an acquaintance or relationships that bring you advantages. And you are afraid; you don't know what to do. Well, I can tell you this: trust in God, because Paul speaks clearly. He considers everything he had before as rubbish compared to what he is gaining right now.

And as for the struggles I mentioned earlier, let’s see what Paul thinks about them.

In 2 Corinthians 11:22-27 he says:

"Are they ministers of Christ? —I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness."

While in Philippians 4:11-12 it is said:

"Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."

We can see that not only does Paul reject his position and everything he had, but he is willing to face any battle. Multiple times he is tortured, beaten, stoned, and flogged. Multiple times he found himself in danger—in danger from false brethren, from the Jews, because of robbers—he found himself in an extremely wretched living condition, suffering from hunger, cold, and thirst. Yet he tells us that he grew accustomed to all of this. For him, this became normal; it became a routine. Just as it has become normal for us to get up and have breakfast, for him it was normal to get up, be tortured, be beaten, be mocked, be humiliated, and suffer from hunger and cold.

Let's see how he considers all of this. In Romans 8:18, he says:

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

What Paul is saying here is very clear: that all the sufferings, all the misfortunes, all the sacrifices he is making at this moment are of so little account compared to the reward he will receive, that it is not even worth considering them, it is not even worth worrying about these things.

Therefore, I do not know what situation you are living through right now. I do not know the cross you are carrying. But I can tell you: do not give up. Continue to persevere in faith. Because every sacrifice, every tear, every sleepless night, every offense will be amply repaid by God.

In 1 Corinthians 10:13 Paul says:

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

Now, you might tell me that Paul was a madman, that he was a visionary. But Paul knew what he was talking about because he had seen heaven, and he says it clearly in 2 Corinthians 12:2-7. He says:

"I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me. And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure."

Here we clearly understand that he is speaking about himself. In fact, he says: "Lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me." Paul clearly tells us that he saw heaven, he saw what it contains, and he evaluated that all the glory this world can offer him—a social status, the respect of people, wealth—is nothing compared to what is found in heaven. And not only that, but it is something so grand, so glorious, that it is worth paying any price.

The words of Jesus come to mind when he says that when a merchant finds a pearl of great value, he is willing to sell everything just to have it. And similarly, we too should be willing to make any sacrifice and any renunciation in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven. Because while it is true that we will not enter the kingdom of Heaven through our actions, but through faith, James clearly tells us that faith must be a faith of action, not of words.