Penniless

Over Priced

Last week the news was reporting that President Trump had ordered the Treasury Secretary to stop making pennies. The penny costs about 3.6 cents to manufacture. This means that the government is losing money with every penny that is minted. This is also true of the nickel coin. I believe it costs 13.77 cents to make a single nickel. The point is clear that it doesn’t make sense or cents to keep minting these low value coins. Several factors have led to the devaluing of these coins, not the least of which is the inflation of the U. S. economy. However, maybe this reality should cause us to take stock of our lives and consider the costs that go beyond mere dollars and cents.

Time is Money

In the wisdom of King Solomon that is recorded in Ecclesiastes we have much reflection on both the brevity and value of time (Ecclesiastes 3). Time is of such great value for several reasons. One reason is that you can never get back any moment that has passed. That moment is gone forever. Even if you live one hundred and fifty years you cannot actually make up for lost time.

Another element is that time is finite. The current existence that you have will come to an end. Even if you are young and live to an old age the point is still true that time is running out. Often when we are young it is easy to feel as though time is an overflowing cup, but the reality of the fact that life will not go on forever is soon established.

It is also important to note that we do not know how much time we have. Could you imagine how you would live if you were given a debit card and told that all the money you would ever have is on the card for your whole life but you did not know the beginning balance and you could never check the current balance? It would certainly be an interesting thought experiment but that is how we are when it comes to time. We could live for many decades more or we could be drawing our last breath at this very moment. 

If you were in your last moments, then can I ask you to consider two questions? First, are you content with the life that you have lived? Did you do or even attempt to do the things that you wanted or that you believe are truly important? Are your relationships with family and other people in a good place? There are probably a thousand more ways you could consider this idea of contentment.

My second question is are you ready? I don’t mean are you ready to leave behind your family or have accomplished all your goals, I mean are you ready to face death? Are you ready to stand before God? The scripture is clear that we all have an appointment with death and after that an appointment with judgment (Hebrews 9:27-28). That judgment will only go one of two ways. Option one is that we will stand before God on the record of our own action either evil or righteous. The problem is that even if you think that you have done more good than bad the judgment is not a scale but rather a proof. God will not weigh in a balance your good and bad deeds, but rather seek to prove your life to see if it is perfect. In this case, the standard is perfection and the penalty for any impurity is destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:9=10).

Count the Cost

The second option for how things can go on the day of judgment is that those whose debt of sin has been paid by another can be proved based on the perfection and indestructibility of His life. The Scripture is also clear that everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ will not be condemned or put to shame. We are rescued by His payment for our sin on the cross and we are rewarded by His righteous life credited to our account.

But Jesus urges us to be careful to count the cost of our discipleship (Luke 14:25-33). If we are not willing to renounce all that we have apart from Christ then we cannot have the life offered to us by Christ. Christ freely offers us eternal life but to receive it we must let go of everything else so our hands are empty. 

Salvation is free, in the sense that, we could not do anything to earn it and there is no price that we could pay for it. However, being brought into the family of God will cost us being a part of the brotherhood of the world (Ephesians 2:19). Being included in the kingdom of light means we are not citizens of the realm of darkness (Colossians 1:9-14). Becoming true worshippers of God means that we are not worshippers of idols (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10). Coming into fellowship with Christ and His people means that we are not participating with demons (1 Corinthians 10:14-21). Being included in the living body of Christ means that you are not a part of the dead corpse of sin (Romans 7:4-6). Lastly, being wed to Christ as His bride the church means that we do not belong to this world because of Jesus’ saving grace (Revelation 21:1-11).

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