Our journey during this Lenten season has triumphantly brought us to the other side of the cross, Dear Reader! Hopefully, reflecting on the journey of Jesus has drawn us into closer relationships with Him. And perhaps drawing us closer was worth the price of heaven to Jesus, the only one who could mark our accounts paid in full.
I once knew a man who drove a beat-up old truck, and wore faded overalls every time he came into the business where I worked. It was easy to tell by looking at his hands that he worked with them. But looks can be so deceiving.
He told me about a time he was looking for a new property to buy. The realtor showing him options was well-dressed and drove an expensive car. He said she got very impatient, almost rude, when he insisted on viewing a property in an affluent area of town.
After viewing the house, the realtor tried to tactfully tell him it was probably out of his price range. He laughed out loud as he told me about taking out his wallet and asking if she thought the seller would take cash.
You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to him—be free now from all these earthly prides and fears.
1 Corinthians 7:23 TLB
There is so much to celebrate on this side of Resurrections Day, Dear Reader! The price of heaven has been paid in full. The “darling of heaven” chose to suffer and endure crucifixion in order to pay our sin debt in full.
And now we can proclaim, “He is risen . . . He is risen, indeed!
“The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.'”
Matthew 28:5-6 NIV
The journey to the cross has ended in victory. The price of heaven has been paid in full, but Dear Reader there’s still work for us to do.
This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves.
1 John 3:16 MSG
Living sacrificially doesn’t have to be scary. You can move forward with confidence in knowing the price of heaven is paid in full. Wherever we are in the journey, here are three assurances/promises we can take with us:
- The Lord is with us, and will never leave us. (Deuteronomy 31:6)
- He will attend to our needs. (Psalm 23:1)
- Our Heavenly Father believes in us. (Phillipians 4:13)
