The Price Is Steep
Bible Reading: Jeremiah 29:11-13
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
HAVE YOU EVER seen the game show The Price Is Right? It’s been on TV since Noah was a teenager. One of the games contestants play on the show involves matching different products with the correct prices. See if you can match the items in the column at left with the price tags in the column on the right:
| 1. | NEWSPAPER | A. | $800,000 |
| 2. | NEW MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE | B. | $1,500 |
| 3. | BOTTLED WATER (16 OZ.) | C. | $400 |
| 4. | ONE-MINUTE COMMERCIAL DURING MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL | D. | $1.75 |
| 5. | POSTAGE STAMP | E. | $55 |
| 6. | COMPUTER WITH MONITOR, PRINTER, CD-ROM | F. | $25,000 |
| 7. | SCHOOL LUNCH | G. | 35-50C |
| 8. | 1910 HONUS WAGNER BASEBALL CARD | H. | $1.25 |
| 9. | FAX MACHINE | I. | $451,000 |
| 10. | VISIT TO THE DOCTOR’S OFFICE | J. | 32¢ |
Now, the price of some of those items may seem steep, $451,000 for a baseball card? (That’s what hockey great Wayne Gretzky and a partner paid for the rare card in 1991.) Others-like a postage stamp or a newspaper-may seem like bargains by comparison.
To be honest, sometimes the price of doing the right thing can be pretty steep, too. Sometimes doing the right thing can make you feel like a party pooper or a geek. It might cost you a friend. It might cost you money. It’s even cost people their lives. It’s enough to make you wonder why anybody would choose to do right.
There’s no doubt about it, doing the right thing can be hard. It can seem dumb. But though it may seem hard at the time, the price of doing wrong is usually steeper-maybe not right away, but in the long run. Doing wrong can end up costing you friends. It can get you in really big trouble. It could even cost you your life … and your soul.
That’s what God’s trying to tell us in today’s Scripture reading. He does not promise that we will be rewarded in this life for every right choice we make. But he does promise that obeying his commands will accomplish our good-maybe not right now, but in the long run, and certainly in eternity. As Proverbs 21:21 says, “Whoever pursues godliness and unfailing love will find life, godliness, and honor.”
REFLECT: Have you ever made the wrong choice because the cost of making the right choice seemed too high? Are you glad you made the choice you did? Would you do it differently if you could?
PRAY: “God, help me to do the right thing, even when it’s hard to__________________.”
(Answers: 1G; 2F; 3H; 4A; 5J; 6B; 7D; 8I; 9C; 10E.)