Epiphany........ Revealing the Life of Jesus. A devotional for The 7th Sunday February 20

Many of us are very skeptical of free gifts from strangers. What are the hidden costs? What strings are attached? My wife and I were once promised a complete set of encyclopedias for free--so long as we committed to buy the annual yearbooks at total cost of nearly a thousand dollars! But some gifts have legitimate conditions. If we buy our child a ten-speed bicycle, we expect that child to learn to use it properly. If we give them a trumpet, we assume they'll follow through with the music lessons. In one sense, God's gift of eternal life has no strings attached. Anyone is invited to drink of the waters of life. There is nothing we are required to do in order to earn eternal life; indeed, there is nothing we can do to deserve that life. If we want it, it is there for the taking. But Jesus did warn us to count the cost. The cost is not in receiving that new life. The cost is in living that life. Most of us know about "taking up our cross" to follow Jesus. We will sacrifice our plans and dreams in favor of His. But there is another legitimate string attached to His gift. Eternal life is not just a home in heaven some day. It includes abundant life here on earth. And that abundance only comes as we are made holy, perfected by God's Spirit. But this is not an "added cost" to be counted. This is the essence of the gift. A ten-speed bicycle is useless if the rider can't figure out how to use the gears appropriately. The recipient of a new trumpet surely expects to be trained how to play it. In the same way, we need to expect that we will be shown how to live this eternal, abundant life we've been given. That is the true "cost" of discipleship. We are to have clean hands and a holy heart, to be made perfect in our faith-- not just cleaner hands than we used to have, not just a holier heart than our unbelieving neighbors, not just a beginning to our faith journey. The gift of real life involves being made pure by God's standards, not ours. How pure am I willing to become? Dale Jones Kansas City, Missouri, USA Father, When You asked for my all it was so hard to give it up. I had my own hopes. I had my own plans. I saw my own dreams of grandeur and purpose in life. I saw the praise of men. I hoped for acceptance in this world. Thank You that You revealed to me the end of my ways. Thank You for showing me the eternal separation from You and loss I would have experienced if I had followed my own plans. Thank You for having even better and more fulfilling plans for me. As hard as it was to give You all, I find that it is worth it as You perfect Your holiness in me. I ask that many more would give You all with the joy of knowing that Your love in return could never be measured. Amen Suggested Daily Scripture Reading [Psalm 118] [Proverbs 1:20-23] [II Cor. 5:11-21] [Mark 10:35-45] Visit 1999 Advent/Christmas Series Return to Epiphany Entry Page You may send e-mail comments or suggestions toYvonne Edwards. Edited: Jan. 29 10:50 a.m. Page designed by: Cecil Wallace The background set is provided by Web Art by Sharon Griffin Copyright © 2000 NazNet All rights reserved. International copyright secured.