Pay the price

When I was young, I did a few naughty things, like sneaking into movie theaters. I thought it was funny and exciting, but as I grew older, I started to feel badly about my sneaky ways. Have you ever done naughty things? 

There’s an amazing Bible verse that speaks of a powerful growth principle for 2022: we must pay the price of admission: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” (1 Corinthians 13:11, NKJV)  

Although theaters no longer charge one dollar per film, I pay the entire price with joy. It’s my price of admission. Right now, I’m studying for a doctorate. It’s a lot of work, and the books are expensive…but I’m paying the price of admission. I attend seminars, conferences, and classes to gain knowledge and wisdom.

David understood this principle of paying the price of admission: “But King David replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.’” (1 Chronicles 21:24, NIV) King David wanted the land to build an altar to the Lord, but he refused to get it for free.

I’ve found a few fascinating tendencies in our 21st-century society:

1. Most people want things for free. Don’t get me wrong—I love a few freebies. But ultimately, I need to pay the price of admission.
2. Many people are ungrateful and seem to be controlled by a sense of entitlement. Jesus remarked about this: “Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?’” (Luke 17:17-18, NIV)  
3. Many people spend their lives playing games and being entertained instead of adding value to a broken world.
4. Many want to get lucky in the lottery instead of working hard. Paul confronted this tendency: “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.’” (2 Thessalonians 3:10, NIV)  

friend, it may cost you a hundred thousand dollars for a medical degree. It may cost you twenty years of hard work to obtain favor at work or ten years of athletic discipline to secure a college scholarship. Pay the price of admission. If you want a better 2022, pay the price of admission: hard work. I’d also encourage you to appreciate your pastors, mentors, benefactors, parents, and teachers. Be grateful for your employers and leaders. Faith, prayer, fasting, wise use of money, faithfulness, perseverance, gratefulness, and sheer determination will help you create a better future.

Life can be hard, but some are willing to pay the price of admission—people like you! It’s because you are a miracle. I love you.