Counting the Cost

Greetings Beloved,

This month I would like to share a sermon illustration with you... enjoy!

"Excuse me Sir, I would like to buy this pearl. How much is it?
"Well, " the merchant says, "it's expensive."
"But how much?" says the prospective buyer.
"A very large amount."
"Do you think I could buy it?"
"Oh, of course, everyone can buy it."
"But, I thought you said it was very expensive?"
"It is."
"Well, how much is it?"
"Everything you have."
After pondering for a moment the customer says, "All right, I'll buy it."
"Well, what do you have?" the merchant asks.
"Let's see... "
"I have ten thousand dollars in the bank."
"Good, ten thousand dollars. What else?"
"That's all. That's all I have."
"Nothing more?"
"Well, I have a few dollars here in my pocket."
"How much?"
The customer starts digging. "Well, let's see---thirty, forty, sixty, eighty, a hundred, a hundred and twenty dollars."
"That's fine. What else do you have?"
"Nothing. That's it."
"Where do you live?" the merchant probes.
"In my house."
"The house, too, then."
"You mean I have to live in my camper?"
"You have a camper? That too. What else?"
"I'll have to sleep in my car!"
"You have a car?"
"Two of them."
"Both of them become mine. What else?"
"Well, you already have my money, my house, my camper, my cars. What more do you want?"
"Are you alone in this world?"
"No, I have a wife and two children."
"Oh, yes, your wife and children become mine too. What else?"
"Nothing! I have nothing else. You've left me all alone now."

Suddenly the merchant exclaims, "Oh I almost forgot! You yourself, too! Everything becomes mine---wife, children, house, money, cars,---and you, too."

Then he goes on. "Now, listen. I will allow you to use all these things for the time being. But don't forget that they are mine, just as you are. And whenever I need any of them, you must give them up, because now I'm the owner."

Beloved, the price in our pursuit of God is absolute. Despite the secular notion that all we need or desire is to be found in this world and the lusts thereof, the truth is that everything good we long for is found in Him, so if we move away from God, we move away from the fulfillment of our deepest longings. If we submit ourselves to following God completely, we move closer to fulfillment of our longings. God knows that sin and disobedience maims, destroys and robs us of the desires of our hearts. That's why, in His love, He calls us to total obedience. Yes, the price is all that we have and all that we are. In return, God promises to fulfill the deepest longings of our souls and to satisfy us with Himself.

"If we were willing to learn the meaning of true discipleship and actually to become disciples, the Church in the West would be transformed, and the resultant impact on society would be staggering." -----David Watson

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves..." (2 Corinthians 13:5a).

God's blessings to you all.

Your servant in Christ,
+Ernest A. Ross