“That will be $79,238. Just sign here please.” Would you sign? The obvious question is “What do I get in return?” The first two posts in the counting cost series looked at what we must be willing to give up, and the cost is staggering. If we are to count the cost, and determine if we are willing to give everything to God, it only makes sense that we should know what we will receive in return!
Eternal life is the reward!
First, let’s look at the alternative. If you have not repented of your sins and turned to God, you are heading toward the punishment that you have earned – hell. That is not popular to discuss, and honestly, it is not my favorite topic to bring up; however, it is mentioned over and over in the Bible, and it simply must not be ignored. Romans 3:23 says “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Yes, you have sinned. But maybe you say, “I’ve kept almost all of the laws perfectly!” Almost is not good enough. James 2:10 says, “For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.” Your sin, no matter how insignificant it may seem, has earned you nothing but death in hell. Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
“Wait, did that just say that eternal life is a free gift?”, you may ask. Absolutely! “So I don’t need to earn that eternal life?” Correct. “So I don’t actually have to give anything up?” Wrong. “Wait, wouldn’t giving up my sin then be a work?” No.
Let’s say that I offer you a 1939 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith, in mint condition, absolutely free. You don’t have to pay a penny for it, yet I will not deliver the car if you don’t clear a spot for it in your garage. Clearing a spot in your garage is not “earning the car.” Cleaning out your garage is necessary due to the value of the car, and it is proof that you recognize the value of the car. Giving up your sins is not payment for your salvation. If you value that salvation, you will realize that you need to clear out room in the garage of your heart.
Now, don’t forget that, as mentioned previously, you don’t have to make yourself perfect to prepare for Jesus. He will come to your aid, ready to clean out your garage! Don’t hold onto that box of junk that is blocking the garage, but don’t worry if you can’t move the box yourself! Jesus will move the heavy items that you cannot get to budge. You simply have to be willing to allow Him to clean out your garage – that is, your heart.
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” That word “believes” can be translated “places their trust in.” It is not simply about reading enough historical documents to believe in the existence of Jesus. It is about placing all of your trust in Him. If you place all of your trust in Jesus you will believe all of His promises, you will heed all of His warnings, and you will be willing to get rid of all of that junk in your garage to make room for Him! So what is this eternal life that we are making room for? Let’s take a look.
A little over a year ago I visited a restaurant on my birthday. That restaurant offered basically any meal on their menu for free on the day of one’s birthday. I ordered the grilled mahi, along with a potato and I believe some vegetables as well. Not only was it what I wanted, it was actually what was healthiest for me as well. It was a win-win!
Now picture 7-year-old me on my birthday. If you told me that I could have whatever I wanted for my birthday, I probably would have asked for a big cake, or a big selection of donuts, or maybe a huge assortment of candy. All three probably would have made for the perfect meal!
What if when I asked for the cake, donuts, and candy, I was told that I would get grilled fish and vegetables? I probably would have gotten upset. Tears would not have been off the table. As well-behaved as I was as a kid, I may still have been tempted to send that piece of fish flying across the room.
If, a year ago, instead of the mahi and the healthy sides, I was offered a plate consisting only of cake, candy, and donuts, I would have been similarly disappointed (though I would have been far less likely to send anything flying).
Where am I going with this? You want to know what you will receive if you choose to give your life to Jesus. What if I told you that you will receive exactly what you will want the most? “That’s great!”, you’ll say, “I’ll take 1 trillion dollars!”
The answer is no. I highly doubt that you will receive a trillion dollars. But didn’t I just say that you will get what you will want the most? Yes, I said that. I did not say that you will get what you want the most right now. All that money that you are currently coveting is like the junk food that the child is craving. You may want it now, but when you grow up, you will want something better.
When you truly give your life to Jesus, you will want more of Jesus. You will want nothing more than to be closer to Him, loving Him more, and becoming more like Him. No more candy – you will want the real food. You will want the healthiest food that you can get – the food that makes you grow stronger and makes everything in your life better. And you won’t be disappointed!
The eternal life that is offered is a life with Jesus, both in this life and in the life to come. John 17:3 says, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” You will get to know Him, you will grow to love Him more and more, and you will realize that everything good comes from Him!
Now, maybe you’re saying, “that isn’t as exciting as I had hoped.” Let me ask you a question. If you were invited to attend a dinner party with all of the world’s leaders, and you were the guest of honor, with full access to each and every person there, would you be interested in going? Well, guess what? Every single person in that room is in power only because God has allowed them to be there. Everyone in that room only takes another breath because God allows it. That room, full of the most powerful people on the planet, is powerless against God. Yet that very God, the God who is infinitely more powerful than all of the world’s elite, is inviting you to spend your life with Him! My friend, there is nothing boring about that. If you find yourself bored, it is because you do not believe. If you would rather hold on to your sin than turn to Him, it can only be because you fail to believe that His way is truly what is best for you.
John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” You have a choice. You can continue down the road to eternal punishment, or you can accept the free gift of eternal life – the gift which is so valuable that Jesus died on the cross so that you could receive it.
Right now, you are probably craving more candy, and the fish does not interest you. Yet if you trust God, the One who created you in the first place and knows everything about you, you will realize that the fish is what you have actually been craving all along. It is what you need, it is what will taste good to you, and it is the only food which will truly satisfy your appetite. Even if God does not appeal to your appetite right now, put down your sin and come to Him in faith. He will give you what you will want more than anything else on earth – He will give you Himself.
You will finally be satisfied!
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