Bought With a Price …
When I think about this world and all that it means in the life of mankind, how it promises to reward all those who are willing to heed its call, to fall down and worship; I am left in a quandary. What am I to do, and where am I to go? The promise of complete fulfillment and pleasure are alluring, they seem to be the best of what life has to offer.
“Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Matthew 4:8-10).
As I think about what my answer will be, I think about the words of Jesus, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Awaking from my contemplation of selfish ambition, I am made to realize the true reality of God and His Holy Word. Will I sell my soul to a world that is temporal and unworthy, or will I hold on to all that is eternal and dignified? The choice is mine.
My answer: It is not that I cannot be bought, but that I have already been bought. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
It is very simple. If I am to live an abundant life, a life that is pleasing unto God and unto my world; I must learn to rely upon God and His Holy Word. He is what true life is really all about. He is the only One who can give me those things that are truly life-giving and eternal.