Everything Costs Something

Recently we took a week's vacation and went to San Diego. Our primary reason for the trip was to attend our daughter's wedding. But spending time with her and others in our family wasn't the only thing we did on our six days there.  We spent parts of several days at the beach, and we took the three children living with us to Sea World.

Sea World is a pretty interesting place to visit, and the children really loved it. It is also expensive. I don’t know what the tickets cost, as Robin handled that before we left home. I saw for myself what the food cost, and I took a picture of the cost of parking as we entered the parking lot. We arrived early in the day, taking the General Parking option. As we walked from our car into Sea World itself it looked like at that time of day spending $5, or $15, for the parking upgrade was like throwing your money into the trash can, for there seemed to be no significant difference in reducing the distance from car to gate. But even if the lot had been full I wouldn’t be able to justify to myself spending $5 more in order to walk ¼ mile less.

As we drove into Sea World we were talking with our younger daughter a bit about the costs of our vacation and visits to places like Sea World. Robin told her "Everything costs something."

"Everything costs something" is true for so many things in life. The provision of our day-to-day needs of shelter, food and clothing. Education. Transportation. Entertainment and recreation. Some of these things are things we pay for ourselves. Others we may receive, with someone else bearing the costs. And digging a bit more deeply, the most precious thing any person might have falls into that latter category, a thing received, with the cost borne by another.

The most precious thing a person could have is salvation from the wrath of God through the forgiveness of their sins.  In Romans 3 Paul writes:

"For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith."

"Justified" is a term that means the person who turns towards Jesus in faith, turning from their sin and believing in him as their Savior, is declared innocent before God. God's grace, the forgiveness of sin, has been received as a gift. A gift. Free. It comes at no cost whatsoever to the person seeking it. 

The latter part of Paul's sentence shows that there is a cost to our salvation, but that the cost has been paid by Jesus.  The cost of our redemption was in the pouring out of his blood. He gave his life, so that by faith in him, we could receive eternal life.

We went to California for a particular event, the wedding of our daughter. It was a big trip, something we prepared for by making a budget and setting aside money ahead of time. There were costs, and we prepared to pay them ourselves. It was a great trip and we are left with wonderful memories.

But there is nothing in life that compares to the value of knowing God through faith in Jesus. Nothing. And this thing that is beyond all other things in value can be yours, absolutely free, as you, or I, make that turn towards Jesus in faith.

The offer Jesus holds out in Mark 1 remains valid today:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Everything costs something, even a relationship with God. But Jesus paid the costs, for you, for me, because of his great love for all who beleive.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.