There is no vacuum in life. The blessings of salvation also come with its equivalent challenges and price. Yes we are saved, yes we are delivered from sin, yes we are free from sickness, yes we cannot be poor, yes witches and wizards have no power over us, yes we are the children of destiny and yes we are a holy nation and a peculiar people unto God. but is that all? It is not. as beautiful and attractive as all of these are, they are merely the additions to our faith. There is a purpose why he called us. That is the major essence of our faith. The blessings of the faith are just to sustain and keep us while we fulfill the purpose of our salvation.

The essence of this book is to actually help us discover this purpose and stay on it. God is very interested in loading us with the numerous benefits of salvation, but first thing first. Christianity is not merely a reality, it is also a very serious business. It is more than giving prayer requests, coming to church when convenient and greedily searching the heavens for the second coming. It cost young Steven his life not to mention the rest of the disciples. That should tell you how serious it is. It is not merely about God bless me. God will bless us. That is not a big deal for Him. After all, the scripture says that He causes the rain to fall for both sinner and the saint. If He can bless the unbeliever, why won't He bless you? Blessing is not the problem here. We are talking about getting God's approval. We are talking about expanding the kingdom of God on earth. We are talking about you becoming a spiritual force. We are talking about your affecting lives. We are talking about winning souls into the kingdom. We are talking about you knowing and fulfilling your call. We are talking about wearing the crown of life on the last day and not merely entering heaven as by fire.

He will not crown the Christian who has not paid the price for the call. This is why this book has titled the call and the cost. It tells us that there is a call and a price to pay for it. Go through the scripture, those who received the best of God and got Him to be committed personally to them were men who heed the call and paid the price for their faith. You cannot talk about the greatness of Abraham without talking about the one who waited a hundred years for a son and yet was much willing to offer the same child to God as a burnt offering. You cannot talk about Joseph and the lofty position he attained as the prime minister of Egypt without talking about the temptation of Potiphar's wife and the prison.

You cannot talk about Moses and the promised land without talking about Pharaoh and the wilderness experience. You cannot talk about the victory of Jephthah without talking about the one who offered his only daughter to the Lord as a burnt offering. You cannot talk about the double portion of the anointing of Elisha without talking about the one who poured water upon the hands of Elijah and in spite of the dazzling brightness of the chariot of fire, strained his sight to see his master taken away. You cannot talk about the success of David without talking about the one who will not give to God that which cost him nothing.

You cannot talk about Daniel in Lion's den or the three Hebrews brothers in the midst of the flame without talking about the ones who stood for what they believed. Above all, you cannot talk about Jesus and the gift of grace and salvation, which has appeared to you and me, without talking about the cross. If there were no need, these ones would not have paid the price.