Bargain Hunting

The days are getting colder.  Fall is upon us and soon the first Christmas shopping fliers will be arriving.  They always promise amazing deals for those who are willing.  If you are willing to get up early, or stay up late, or skip dessert on Thanksgiving.  If you are willing to stand in line and race the crowds, then you can have a shot at a bargain.  I say "a shot" because the stores don't always have all of the products advertised in the flier.  Sometimes They may have only a small number and some stores have none.

Now I've never been one to get into the holiday shopping tussle, but I can imagine the frustration of fighting the crowds and waiting in line for nothing but an empty promise.  They aren't sold out, the deal was never there.  

There is the saying that a deal that seems too good to be true probably is.  And we are constantly bombarded with advertisements that promise to make our world better brighter and healthier, but for a price.

We have all had the experience of paying too much, putting out too much effort or going too far.  We look back on the experience and realize that we never should have started down that path.  The cost was too steep.  It cost too much in time or money or effort, and it simply was not worth the investment.

That's where the promise of God is different than the promises of the world.  First, God does not promise us cheap.  It's just the opposite.  God wants us all in.  All of us.  He promises that there will be trials in this life and there will be suffering.  God doesn't promise that it will be easy.  He says that it will be worth it.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

If our walk with God is like Christmas shopping.  The lines may be longer than we first expected.  The parking lots may be more crowded and the crowds may be thicker.  But what we are seeking is always there.  And more besides.  There is so much more that not only don't you mind the crowds, but you can't imagine why anyone else would either.

God never promises that the walk will be easy.  The promise is that it will be worth it.  And that is a real bargain.