Friends' Favorites - The Price is Right

[Jesus speaking] I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again.
John 14:27-28a NLT

I hate shopping. A few years back, I had occasion to go to a mall for a specific shopping trip with some ladies from church. I haven't been to a mall in years, and if Jesus tarries, I may never go back. I came out of there feeling as though I had lived a sheltered life - and if you know me at all, you know I have not - and yet, I was appalled at some of the things I saw there.

But I digress, what I really wanted to tell you about was this one HUGE gumball machine I saw. It was one of those new ones - an action gumball machine. No more do you have the put-the-coin-in-twist-the-knob-gumball-drops-out kind of machine. Now it goes through loops and hoops and entertains you before it ever gets to the dispenser. And by the way, it's not a penny or a nickel, it's a quarter - for one gumball! - but even that wasn't what caught my eye.

The machine was advertising "Peace of Mind" for a quarter. Yes, you read that correctly. Peace of mind... Just drop your quarter in, twist the knob, and watch the gumball / jawbreaker / whatever it was, come jumping through the hoops and loops and deliver peace of mind straight into your waiting fingers. In my mind, I just kept hearing Rod Roddy boom out, "This, too, can be yours if the Price is Right!"

I was struck to the very core of my being by the deception of all satan's lies being boiled down into a gumball machine. To think that peace can be obtained by purchasing anything that feeds your senses is a lie. That's counterfeit like every other lie satan sells and marketing has built an entire economy on it. We want it cheaper and faster and we'll swap it all if we can have it now. We don't want to make the commitment for excellence or to wait for those things worth waiting for. And the world wants to sell it to you - for a quarter - from a gumball machine at the mall. This, too, can be yours if the Price is Right!

Jesus said, I am leaving you with A GIFT - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give... Jesus paid the price - the highest price - and then He gave it to us as a gift. satan wants you to sell your soul. What price will you pay?

Prayer:

Father,
           Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, and do not be still! We want Your peace, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Friends' Favorites - 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 half-n-half in my coffer. 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 cup of coffee is important to me, and I want it to be good. 

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 maintain 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. Do the benefits outweigh the struggle? Is it 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

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. Although, some are worth the price; some are not. For instance, I 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. 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 ya. The price is high. Sometimes, it costs us more than we figured in friends, job, lifestyle, sometimes 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. Did you get that? It's going to cost us everything to follow Christ. Are we willing to pay that price? Jesus was willing... and He paid the price. His love for you was His motivation.

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 the 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