“For
you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.”
-
1 Corinthians 6:20
The
Internet has spoiled us in a lot of ways, but perhaps chief among them is the
belief that everything online should be free—even things we used to be willing
to pay for offline. I grew up in a family that paid for a daily newspaper
subscription (and still does), and now I read news articles from the Waco
Tribune-Herald, Dallas Morning News, New York Times, and Washington Post every
day without paying a dime for the privilege. If I want to see a scene from my
favorite movie, I used to have to buy or rent the DVD, now all I need to do is
hop on YouTube. Even education, something which has traditionally cost big
bucks once you leave the public school system, can be undertaken largely free of
charge thanks to scores of online programs, articles, and videos (albeit
without a degree at the end of your learning.)
You
can tell pretty quickly where your online priorities lie by what you’re willing
to pay for. When my favorite news site put up a paywall, I just started using a
different site. Whereas when Amazon Prime upped their subscription cost, I
grumbled…but never for a moment considered dropping the service. Some things we
only want when they’re free, but the stuff we think is truly valuable is worth paying
the price.
That
principle can be applied spiritually as well. God thought your salvation was
worth the price, namely Jesus’ death on the cross. God could have looked at a
humanity stained by sin and chosen to leave us to our rightful punishment; He
could have decided that we were unworthy of His love. But instead He sent His
Son as a ransom for us all, paying the price we could not so that we might be
saved.
When
you think of your life in those terms, it ought to change things. Instead of ‘living
for the moment,’ the knowledge that Jesus paid the price for your salvation ought
to inspire you to live for the kingdom. Instead of glorifying yourself, his
sacrifice ought to move you to glorify God. Instead of being compelled by greed
and lust, the cross ought to point you toward love and generosity.
God
thought you were worth saving, despite the high price. What are you doing with
your salvation?
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