Bargain Of A Lifetime

Categories: Devotional,Mark

Are looking for great bargain? Everything in life costs something, doesn’t it? How about being a Christian, is that a bargain?

A bold Lutheran pastor once stood against the evils of national socialism. His name was Dietirich Bonhoeffer. He spoke about Germany’s so-called patriotism. He said that when the German people lifted up the Führer, what was really going on was idolatry. The gestapo arrested Bonhoeffer. At a concentration camp in Flossenberg, Bonhoeffer was executed.

When he was 31, Bonhoeffer wrote:

The cross is not the terrible end of an otherwise God fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ.

When Christ bids a man, ‘come,’ he bids him to come and die.

Does God want this from you? Sounds kind of expensive. There must be a cheaper religion around, a better bargain.

Jesus might say this is the deal, this is God’s bargain:

He wants you, all of you. He wants you, body and soul. He wants your heart, your mind, and all your strength. He wants all of your resources—he wants everything you are and everything you have. God wants nothing less than your life. But for giving that, in exchange, God will give you his life.

You see, the high price for following Jesus is not just for Dietirich Bonhoeffer. It is not just for the disciples or other super-saints. Jesus wants every rank-in-file Christian to give him their all.

After all, Jesus said this:

Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or, what can a man give in exchange for his soul (Mark 8:35-38)?

No matter what, living forever is not something you can purchase with cash or credit. But if you give charge of all your life to Jesus, and do it now, he will arrange for you to keep your life. He’ll make sure that you get what you paid for, and what he paid for.

It is, ultimately, the bargain of a lifetime.

Now that’s something to Celebrate!

Author: Toby Larson

Toby Larson leads Celebration International. He is a husband and father of 5. Whether he's teaching, hitting tennis balls, sailing a Hobie, serving in Asia, skiing on water or snow, Toby is passionate about the love of God and the love of life. Read more ...