It's Worth the Price
We stand in front of the store display, weighing the pros and cons of buying what we see before us. Do we, or don't we? Is it, or isn't it, necessary? Can we afford to have it? Can we afford not to have it?
Jesus never promised that following Him would be easy. We should have guessed that from the fact that providing our salvation cost Him everything. The gift of salvation is free. As Titus writes: "…he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy" (Titus 3:5). Paul says: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
Matthew records a warning from the Lord about the cost of following Him. Though the gift is free, the living out of the new life we gain from it might cost us relationships, earthly rewards, and quite possibly our lives. (Matthew 34-39).
But to be accepted by the Father is worth any price. Listen to these solemn words: "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven" (Matthew 10:32, 33).
To have Jesus say of me as we stand before His Father: "She's one of mine," is worth any price.
Jesus never promised that following Him would be easy. We should have guessed that from the fact that providing our salvation cost Him everything. The gift of salvation is free. As Titus writes: "…he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy" (Titus 3:5). Paul says: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
Matthew records a warning from the Lord about the cost of following Him. Though the gift is free, the living out of the new life we gain from it might cost us relationships, earthly rewards, and quite possibly our lives. (Matthew 34-39).
But to be accepted by the Father is worth any price. Listen to these solemn words: "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven" (Matthew 10:32, 33).
To have Jesus say of me as we stand before His Father: "She's one of mine," is worth any price.
AMEN - as my pastor was saying tonight - the gift is free to US, but it cost HIM everything.
ReplyDeleteBut even that doesn't touch on the other costs to us who "give up" our comfort in so many ways so we are not ashamed of the Gospel.