What price do you put on eternal life? What price do you put on having a relationship with the Almighty God? What price do you place on a righteous soul? What price do you place on freedom?

Every one of us has a price. We all have the tendency to place a monetary value on everything. Ask yourself, how much would you be willing to receive in exchange for committing a small sin? Not a “serious sin”, but a “small one.” What if someone would give you $10,000 immediately with no strings attached if you would only throw a brick through your neighbor’s large, living room window? You have no time to give him any warning, no time to negotiate with your neighbor, no time to exchange any information. You are not allowed to recompense him in any way. Just do it because you could profit from the situation. Now if $10,000 is not worth the inconvenience, how about $100,000, $500,000, $1,000,000, $100,000,000? You tell us at what price you place on righteousness and we will tell you how much value you place on godliness. We could easily justify the situation and convince ourselves that breaking a neighbor’s window is not a major crime. No person really was hurt. Unless, a person was sitting by the window when you threw the brick and the shattering glass stuck into the person’s body causing him to bleed profusely to his death. But, that would change the scenario around. Or would it?

We recall a story from a friend that occurred in his first year on the job.  His company sold some real estate and money was being transferred all around the country. He had wire transferred several million dollars before the end of the day prior to leaving the country that evening on vacation. The next day he received a phone call from his boss informing him that the money was missing. They retraced the steps and were able to locate it in an account of one of the banks. The financial institution misread one of the digits on the wiring instructions and the money was sitting in someone else’s bank account. However, it didn’t dawn on him until he came back to work that his boss had a little thought that he had absconded with the money. They laughed about it afterwards. But it made him ask the question, how much? How much would we have to steal and leave the country to make it worth the crime?

What we all soon learn is what Jesus taught us. What does it profit if you could have the whole earth, but lose your soul? What is of greater value? In this world we are slaves to the greed around us and within us. But as disciples of His, we have His assurance that He is always with us to the end of this age. He will provide for our needs. There is no monetary price on godliness. Godliness is priceless, and so are we. How does that compare to your value system?

OUR PRAYER

Our Righteous Dad, thank you for revealing your truth to us. Thank you for sharing your godliness with us. Thank you for revealing the fruit of righteousness in our life.  Great you are and greatly to be praised!

Help us in destroying our self-righteousness and replacing it with your righteousness. Help us to sprinkle your traits of godliness with all the people we meet. Let your godliness have its full empowerment within us. Help us to live a holy and righteous life. Let the joy of your salvation spring out lividly through your righteousness. Let godliness have its way with us.

Let Jesus also have His way with us. We ask all these things through Him and because of Him. Amen.