* Price Motivation

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

1st Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT

In most product lines - whether manufactured goods or edible or whatever - there are usually multiple choices, and some cost considerably more than their counterparts. However, some are worth the price. For instance, I like hazelnut-flavored coffee creamer and I've tried them all. There's only one brand that flavors my coffee the way I want it, and I am willing to pay the price for it, because my two half-cups of coffee are important to me, and I like them to taste right. 

I also wanted to buy a new pick up truck. There are several I like... in fact, I like 'em a lot! However, I don't like the sticker price and I don't like the cost it will take to run one, either. What I need is transportation and there's nothing wrong with what I drive now, so I'm not willing to pay the price.

We make choices about life based on the same principle. There are things I love to do with my grandkids, but some of the activities are harder on my body than others... However, there's no question - they are worth it. I'll take a few aches and pains. In fact, the love for my kids and my grandchildren motivates me to take better care of myself because they are SO worth it!! They're worth my going to the gym, so I can stay mobile. They're worth my making the choice to eat healthy over eating that chicken-fried steak with cream gravy and bread pudding for dessert from T-Bone Tom's in Kemah...well, most of the time... heheh...

Some choices you make for the long-term goal. Are you going back to work after the baby's born, or will you cut out all the extras? Is it worth not going out as often so you can stay home with your baby that first year? Only you can make that decision. And how about going back to school to get a degree when you're already working full-time and have a busy life? It's gonna be THAT much harder, with that much more to do, and study and tests, etc. But in the long run, it pays off. It is worth the price. Sometimes, it doesn't FEEL like it when you're in the middle of it all, but deep inside, you know it is.

When you choose to follow Jesus and the way He would have you to live, it'll cost you. The price is high. Sometimes, it costs us more than we figured in friends, job, lifestyle, and even family. In Luke 14, Jesus says,  And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn't afford to finish it!’ Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

Everything. It's going to cost us everything to follow Christ. Are you willing to pay that price? Jesus was willing... and He paid it in full. His love for you was His motivation. And when He counted the cost, He figured you were worth it.

Prayer:

Father,

          May everything we say or do and every choice we make be made because You loved us first and paid the price for our sin. Let our love for You and for each other be a direct result of Your love for us. May our motivations be as pure as the Life that paid for ours. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen