What's it really cost?

The true cost of an item is often obscured. We 'forget' to factor in things like taxes, depreciation, and maintenance costs.
The true cost of sin is often hidden as well. Sin is so attractive - on the surface - isn't it?

Drinking looks so sophisticated in the movies. The very cool frat boys throw parties; everybody gets smashed, and hilarity results. But many of those same frat boys turn into alcoholics that can't function without a stiff drink. Then, too, the stories of the girls who are date-raped while they are too drunk to know what they doing or what's being done to them are seldom told.

Wayne McLaren, if you're over 35 you'll remember him as the Marlboro Man, was the epitome of cool! His rugged good looks and ever present cigarette lured millions to start smoking cigarettes. He died of lung cancer at age 51, but not before appearing at a stockholders meeting of Philip Morris, the tobacco company, with a plea for them to change the way cigarettes were advertised!

I read a tongue-in-cheek treatment of the cost of a 4 month long affair recently. (This is not intended to minimize the pain associated with infidelity, so please do not read it that way.) The author went through a long list of costs including motel rooms, gifts, phone cards, loss of promotion for lack of focus on the job, legal fees for the divorce, etc. Total cost for the affair = $25,664.00 After the long list, he concluded - "Hardly seems worth it, does it?" And he didn't factor in the loss of self-respect, the loss of relationship with children and family, and the offense to God - which is most significant!

Revenge tastes so sweet when we're angry, doesn't it? We are capable of plotting another's destruction with scarcely a thought for the pain our words and actions will cause.
Indolence is so inviting. "Take it easy. There's always tomorrow. Put it off, play! Go, ahead, goof off- let the mess alone." But do we count the compounding costs of neglect - how hard it will be to do today's work and tomorrow's work when the crunch time arrives?

I read the story of one of the 'cool' characters of the Bible this morning. He became a national leader of Israel. From his childhood everyone knew he was uniquely blessed. In fact the Bible says, that while he was still very young "The Spirit of God began working in him." (Judges 13:25, The Message) He was witty, could really tell a story, and was amazingly strong - especially when the Spirit of God rested on him. But, he had a longing for women that he never really conquered. For 20 years he managed to balance his lust and his anointing. Don't ask me to explain that! It's what the Bible tells me. Yes, his name is Samson. One day he was down in Gaza where he saw a woman well versed in seduction, she was a prostitute, named Delilah. He was captivated by her sensuality and slept with her. He wasn't worried. After all, he had 'managed' his lust and remained in power for all these years, what's the problem with one more sin? But, Delilah wasn't just any woman. She was greedy and a collaborator with those who wanted Samson's destruction. She whined and pled with him while he played the fool, gazing at her with love-sick eyes. After he finally revealed that it was his relationship with God that gave him his amazing abilities, she was quick to tell his enemies. One of the saddest verses in the Bible is: "Delilah cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” When he woke up, he thought, “I will do as before and shake myself free.” But he didn’t realize the Lord had left him." (Judges 16:20, NLT)

Believer, temptation is common to us all! You're not a bad person because you feel the magnetism of disobedience to God. We all do at one time or another. "Remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience." Don't be amazed that those desires arise in you. Just remember the rest of that passage. "God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." (1 Corinthians 10:13, NLT)

Ask the Holy Spirit to be your accountant, to help you factor in all the costs of sinful disobedience; then, serve God with faithfulness. Factor in the rewards for the righteous, too. They are rich and plentiful, though not always immediate.

"Throw out anything tainted with evil.
May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole,
put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ.
The One who called you is completely dependable.
If he said it, he’ll do it!" (1 Thessalonians 5:22-24, The Message)