A REASONABLE PRICE

                                           A REASONABLE PRICE

    There's a song that claims love and marriage go together, and that has been
true in the past. Today I'm not certain that song is accurate. This is a situation
of togetherness quite like Christianity and Commerce. The difference is the two
are exact opposites. There are many today that seek to combine commerce
(money) with Jesus Christ.

    I'm reminded the latter two don't and can't mix. We need to understand there
is a separate price for each. People tell me Christ didn't teach us much about
money. They simply don't bother to research His messages, or they choose to
misunderstand some of His great parables. There are many, many verses of
scripture that deal with money.

    This writing, however, is to deal with the differences between spiritual costs
and the costs of everyday commerce. These are the occasions where you, the
consumer, private businessperson, or family shopper make the decision. What
is a fair price (cost) of the article? What do I use as a judging standard?

    For value shoppers, it requires a valuation of the item, quality and quantity,
etc. There are many levels of quality, and each has a price. Frequently the best
overall value of the item also bears the highest cost. This is probably no news
to you, except your purchase decision may result in resentment that you can't
afford the "best".

    Here is where you should recall the phrase, "a reasonable price". We go from
commercial (man standards) to Christian standards. What is a reasonable price
for salvation and Christian blessings? Well, let's look at the price Christ paid to
grant committed believers eternal life. He was tortured, defiled, crucified, and died
a very painful death. This was the supreme price. He did it willingly.

    As Christians, what is our price? For those who serve as missionaries, death
can also be the price. For those who serve in our military, death or crippling
injuries can be the price. For all of us, seeking truth appears to be an easy and
simple price. But, apparently it is not.

    It wouldn't be so terrible if those quoting isolated verses of scripture were
simply making an honest mistake. We are a nation based on law. Ignorance
or misquoting a law is no excuse. Likewise, ignorance or misquoting scripture
is no excuse, and much worse than manhandling our civil law. Scripture should
be followed because it is God's Law. If we don't follow it, we cannot be Christians.

    Our reasonable price, although so easy compared for most people, is not met
by many who still feel they have eternal life. They also have their own personal
opinions of scripture and their own agendas. They may publicize their version
of the bible, but their goal may have little, if any, connection to Christ's teaching.

    Some of us are familiar with who John the Baptist was. He preached the
coming of Christ. The bible says John preached in the wilderness. This was
not the barren desert, but among the people where there was no knowledge
of the Gospel and only the Law taught by the priests. John was beheaded.
That was his reasonable price.

    You may know who Stephen was (Acts 7:57-58). He was stoned to death.
That was his reasonable price. You may recall, reading these passages, that
Saul, later to become the apostle Paul, was the leader in this stoning. Paul
also suffered death as his reasonable price.

    We frequently pass over the reasonable price paid by thousands of Americans
on D-Day, June 6, 1944. That is history of less than 70 hears ago. It is not noted
on any of the calendars I checked. That was a solemn morning for Americans, who
heard of our troops landing on the shores of France. My parents were mostly silent,
except to say our future and the future of the world depended on the success of our
soldiers. That was a make or break day, and was the day so many of our soldiers
paid the reasonable price. The shores of France had been prepared for an invasion,
and our troops were much like sitting ducks as they waded ashore. They knew the 
price they faced, but they, like Christ, did it willingly for us. Now we don't even
acknowledge it on our calendars. Shouldn't it be a national holiday? How quickly
we forget the supreme sacrifice because we have our personal agenda.

    What do you consider a reasonable price? Spending time in church and
Sunday school? If you are learning the truth from scripture and the teachers,
that may qualify. If you realize that isn't enough, you are on the road to finding
the reasonable price.

    Do you tithe? More importantly, do you know exactly what your money is
supporting? An area bishop is building a beautiful new church, but part of the
cost comes from closing an elementary school. Although local people began
an immediate fund drive to keep the school open, the bishop has to have the
bricks and mortar for another building. The elementary school has a nice
building and dedicated staff. The students have been an asset to the community.

    It is important to have safe and reasonable comfort in a building (church), but
we should recall that Christianity didn't begin and enjoy rapid growth because of
any building. Where two or more believers are gathered together (Matt. 18:20),
in His name, He is among them. I believe many people are influenced by the
church building rather than the Word of God. They are also influenced by the
size of the congregation. Bigger is better? Many of the mega church leaders
do not follow scriptural teaching. Sooner or later, money or apostate teaching
problems sink these cardboard ships.

    Do you tithe to a church organization blindly? I don't want to discourage tithing,
but you should be learning a great deal of new scripture from your attendance
at church and bible study. If you aren't, you should find another church or source
of information. Your tithe is among your considerations for reasonable cost of
spiritual growth.

    Your spiritual growth should enable you to examine the statements and claims
of those who portend to know scripture as they publicize their agenda. If you don't
seek the actual truth of their claims, you are not paying a reasonable cost for
your spiritual growth. There is so much false information, and it is packaged for
your easy consumption. Don't settle for anything less than the truth.

     The reasonable price is rarely the cheapest price. Satan has His salespeople
well trained and active. The can or package off the shelf may be considerably
cheaper than other brands. But, if you check out the contents, you may find some
additives or ingredients very unhealthy. When you cut corners on cost, you may
invite problems.

    The same is true with your spiritual life. Another comment that fits is "you get what
you pay for". If you accept inaccurate or misleading spiritual information, you will find
yourself in some kind of difficulty sooner or later. What is the reasonable price for the
average Christian?

    Select a place of worship based on the soundness of the Word, not the gimmicks
of play for children or music for the younger set. There are different levels of teaching
that are interesting and appropriate for all age groups. Your attention to the Word is
more than a reasonable price to pay for God's gifts. You should remember all those
who willingly gave their lives to follow Christ. 

    You have the greatest gift, the supreme quality, and may still receive this unequaled
product (eternal life) without necessarily paying the highest price. The best there is, is
there for you, and at a price you can afford. Learning scripture and seeking truth, not
rumors or false information, is a reasonable price for anyone. Your future depends on it.

Rev. Walbear



Note---In Honor of D-Day, the photo above is US Troops landing on Normandy Beach. Many thanks to our vets. I can't imagine walking into that certain hell. I was fortunate enough to know a vet who survived D-Day. what a tale. Salute!