THE PRICE ON OUR HEADS

1 Corinthians 7:23 (NLT), God purchased you at a high price. Don't be enslaved by the world.

The first half of this verse grips me...

"God purchased you at a high price..."

The Message read, "...a huge sum was paid out for your ransom..."

Have you ever taken some serious time to reflect on the price tag of your redemption? Do you regularly pause to remember what your salvation cost God?

Here's the truth about me...

I can meander through life and go days without stopping to think about and reflect on what my salvation cost an Omnipotent, Almighty, Holy, Just and Loving God...

The result?

I rationalize "shady" attitudes, thoughts and actions... I tolerate all kinds of junk in my relational world... I wink at sin and smile at rebellion... I live less than the life God had in mind for me when Jesus went to the cross...

But then I read a verse like this...

"...a huge sum was paid out for your ransom..."

And I remember... I remember the truth of Isaiah's words...

Isaiah 53: 4-6 (NIrV), He suffered the things we should have suffered. He took on himself the pain that should have been ours. But we thought God was punishing him. We thought God was wounding him and making him suffer. 5 But the servant was pierced because we had sinned. He was crushed because we had done what was evil. He was punished to make us whole again. His wounds have healed us. 6 All of us are like sheep. We have wandered away from God. All of us have turned to our own way. And the LORD has placed on his servant the sins of all of us.

Read that verse again, SLOWLY... Notice all of the pronouns... Notice the language of SUBSTITUTION...

"HE suffered the things WE should have suffered."
"HE took upon HIMSELF the pain that should have been OURS."
"HE was pierced because WE had sinned."
"HE was crushed because WE had done what was evil."
"HE was punished to make US whole again."
"HIS wounds healed US."
"The LORD has placed on HIS SERVANT the sins of all of US."

That's how much we matter to God! That's how much YOU matter. It's how much I matter...


Paul was a real religious guy. His life had been spent learning the rules and then following the rules. Why?

Maybe...probably...because if he didn't follow the rules, he felt shamed, guilty, maybe even afraid.

But then Paul met Jesus... He had this first hand encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus... And after experiencing GRACE; instead of fear, guilt and shame motivating his behavior and lifestyle; love, gratitude and GRACE became the motivating force behind all of his attitudes and actions and behavior...

So, Paul writes to the church at Corinth... He writes to them about their sexuality... He writes to them about their selfishness... He writes to them about how they've become too tolerant of sin - especially sin in the church... Check out the first six chapters of 1 Corinthians. And then he reminds these believers of the ULTIMATE MOTIVATION for our obedience... For a life of holiness...

Paul says, "...a huge sum was paid out for your ransom." "God purchased you at a high price..."

In others, "Hey guys... Stay focused on the CROSS... Think about all that preceded the cross - betrayal, torture, false accusations, torture... Stay focused on the CROSS... Let what Jesus accomplished for you on the cross motivate your attitudes, actions, words, and conversations... Let it change the way you approach and live your LIFE... Learn to live in the shadow of the cross..."

Wow!

Here's the truth about me... When I fail to focus on the cross, I can get real sloppy... But when I pause long enough to remember the CROSS... When I think about the "price on my head, heart, hands, life and future..." It changes EVERYTHING. It softens my heart. It adjusts my attitudes. It alters my behavior. It influences my conversations. It prompts my worship, adoration and stimulates my obedience.

When I forget, it's another story...

So, my prayer today: God, help me live in the shadow of the cross...