Best Things in Life Aren't Free

The phrase "the best things in life are free" got stuck on my mind as I started to gear up for my work today. I sat at the computer staring at the next chapter for my book and realized that that was not true. The best things in life are not free. The lie we have believed is that we are all doing things for ourselves and that no one is involved so that the fact that we may not have wasted any energy on it must mean that it was free. However, when I think of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for me and all believers on the cross was not free. There were some serious pains involved in what happened that day and it was so that we could all be made right with the Father. > "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" > (John 3:16) That one act was certainly not free despite the fact that I received it for free and without penalty. My life has been transformed in so many abundant ways that I cannot think about the sacrifice that was made for me flippantly. How many of us treat the sacrifice as a "get out of jail free card"? We continue sinning and doing horrible things as we are Christians never realizing the price that was paid for our salvation. Listening to a message from on of my church's youth leaders they were told about the 3 types of Christians that exist. Those that do works for their own glory to look good on the outside, those who do not care about their salvation and continue to live lives for themselves, and then their are those that that do everything for the glory of God. Which one are you? > "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" > (Matthew 12:36-37) The price we have as Christians might already be paid, but that doesn't mean that we should treat it with a careless attitude. Remember that we are saved by grace and there is nothing we can do or make that will change that. We aren't responsible for our salvation and by that fact we should cherish the gift that we have been given. The individual that we are in Christ makes all the difference to how our lives are lived out as a result. If we treat that gift of salvation as clothes that we never wear except on important days then we are not being transformed by what He has given us. It is awkward to think of salvation as clothes, but when you think about it you have been clothed in new robes. You have cast off your old self and nature, in order that you might dwell in the new life that has been provided. Are you using your salvation? Or are you hanging it for special occasions? The best things in life aren't free, because the gift of salvation came at a high price. Don't waste it.