How much does it cost?

Ever had sticker shock? I have. I was shopping all day with a friend for a pair of jeans. The hunt was tiring and depressing until I finally I found the pair I'd been looking for. They were perfect. Perfect! I didn't even have to wear a belt (I tend to fall in between sizes and go bigger with belt verses smaller with muffin top). The length was amazing. No need for hemming or rolling. I was so excited, I thought I might just buy two pairs. Then I wouldn't need jeans for a while. That is, until I looked at the price tag: 60 dollars. Who pays 60 dollars for one pair of jeans??! Yes, I know the answer. People who can afford it. Well, I couldn't! I couldn't even afford one and keep my dignity. My friend and I walked out of Gap empty handed, and I even cried. Yes, I was that pathetic.

I've even gotten nutritional-facts shocked. The other day, I had a huge craving for Doritos. Unfortunately, all the small bags at my workplace were expired and stale. Part of my job that day was to make a Walmart run, so when I reached the checkout line, I was very tempted to buy (with my money--not the school's) a small bag of Doritos. It was a bit bigger than your typical small bags. I took a look at the calorie count: 450 for the whole bag! That's almost a meal's worth!! Of course, if I only at a third of the bag, the calories would only be 150, but who has that kind of self-control? Not me. No Doritos for me that day. =(

Sin is like misusing a credit card and paying no attention to the price. You get what you want when you want it and it feels great. BUT, at the end of the month, you come to terms with the cost. And if you can't afford the bill, it'll cost more later with interest. My pastor is a smart man. He has a saying. I don't know if it's his saying or if he got it from someone else (I should have paid attention to that detail), but it's a wise one: Sin will take you further than you want to go and cost more than you want to pay. So true. Usually, my pastor attaches these words to the story of Achan in Joshua. He got greedy and took riches from Jericho when God had specifically commanded the people to destroy everything and take nothing. What did this sin cost him? His life, his family's lives and his possessions. He must have spend a fortune on his credit card...

If only we could just check the price tag or the nutritional facts before we plunge into doing something stupid. If David had known the torment his sins would bring to his family, maybe he would have said, "She's a pretty woman...but not worth that much pain." If Moses had known hitting the rock would ruin his chances of entering the Promised Land, he might have obeyed God to the letter. If I had known some of the consequences to my own sins, I might not have done them. Then again, who knows, I might have anyway.

For an unfathomable reason, our fallible human minds think that the cost of sin is worth it when all that comes is death and misery, yet the cost of Heaven is not. Don't get me wrong, you cannot earn salvation. However, there is a cost to being a Christian. You must carry your cross (Luke 14:27). Jesus told the rich man to sell all his possessions (Matthew 19:21). Why? Because to follow Christ means leaving behind everything; we must lose our life to save it (Matthew 16:25).
Unlike sin, when we give Jesus our life, we will receive the privilege of entering into those pearly gates. We are forgiven! Jesus even promised his disciples that the things a person gives up for him will be returned 100 times (Matthew 19:29). Giving our life to Jesus is like a good investment versus a credit card. In the end, you don't owe, you receive. But unlike sin, the cost is now, not later. No instant gratification. We don't belong to ourselves anymore. Jesus bought us with the price of his blood (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We must live for him, not our flesh. Our attitude should be that of Paul's: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
So, before you decide to sin, check the price tag. I guarantee you it's not worth the cost. If you haven't invested in Christ yet, do it! Give him your life. You won't regret it. The return rate is outstanding =).