In our Christian life, we often hear people
talk about paying a price, but many keep wondering what it means. There is a
price tagged to everything that you will ever receive from God - there is a
requirement for the things that you are looking for. The Bible says in
Revelation 5:12 (NASB) that; “Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and
might and honor and glory and blessing.” He was slain
so that he can receive, that was the price God paid for our redemption –
sacrificing his one and only son.
Practicing the principles of Christianity
like tithing, offering, fellowshipping, praising, worshiping, fasting, praying
and reading the Bible is not what is meant by paying a price but rather a requirement
of every Christian; these pillars of Christianity help us in building our relationship with
God.
Among the born-again, there are people
who pray and receive, others are prayed for and when they do not receive, they
attribute it to their poorly aligned Christian life, and thus rectify their walk
in order to receive from God but after all that, they may still pray and
receive nothing which may be quite puzzling. Why? God is saying there is none who can get anything from heaven even
though they have been prayed for as long as they have not paid the price. 1
Corinthians 6:20 (NLT) reminds us that; “For God bought you with a high price……” The price for our redemption was quite high, and if God
Himself bought us, this means that nothing comes freely from heaven - we need
to pay the price!
There are certain things we have not
received because we have not paid the price for them. Paying a price is an act of obedience. For you to obey means that
there is some who is giving you instructions and then you execute accordingly;
the instructor commands or demands full obedience from the one who receives the
instructions. Obedience doesn’t happen
at your own convenience but at the convenience
of the one who is instructing you. Jesus told his disciples
in Luke 9:23 (TLB) that; “..............Anyone who wants to follow me must
put aside his own desires and conveniences and carry his cross with him every
day and keep close to me!" The instruction is to deny
self, and be able to keep God close.
The instructor is not the pastor but the Holy Spirit; however, for quick and easy understanding of
instructions, the Holy Spirit can communicate to you through the servant of God
regarding a particular thing to be done, but at times the Holy Spirit directly
communicates to your heart (that’s if you are filled with the Holy Spirit)
about what he wants you to do. That communication is a command not to be
debated by your mind. When you obey the instructions of the Holy Spirit, then
you will have paid the price.
The instructions of the Holy Spirit may appear hard,
sometimes contrary to our situations and at times they may appear as
foolishness but if you are willing, he gives you the grace (divine enablement
of God) to execute them. 1 Corinthians 2:14 (TLB) says, “But the man who isn’t a
Christian can’t understand and can’t accept these thoughts from God, which the
Holy Spirit teaches us. They sound foolish to him because only those who have
the Holy Spirit within them can understand what the Holy Spirit means.”
Obeying the instruction of the Holy Spirit is the price that is required
of you to obtain the things you desire; for obedience unlocks blessings - when you
humble yourself and obey, you will be able to eat the good of the land; when you are obedient enough
to work on God’s issues, he will also work on yours. Isaiah 1:19 (ESV) says; “If you are
willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land."
You need to always be in fellowship with the Holy Spirit because
is he is the one who instructs you on what to do, where and when. That is why Paul emphasizes in 2 Corinthians 13:14 (NIV) that; “May the grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you
all." You need to always be wired to the Holy Spirit.
Pay the price and God will meet your
heart desires
God gave Abraham a child at an
old age but later asked for him as a sacrifice. Isaac was Abraham’s only child
but when he obeyed God’s command, he paid the price for his entire generation.
It was a sign of salvation that we were to receive in Jesus when God gave up
his only begotten son to die for our sins. Hebrews 11:17-18 (TLB) “While
God was testing him, Abraham still trusted in God and his promises, and so he
offered up his son Isaac and was ready to slay him on the altar of sacrifice; 18 yes, to slay even Isaac, through
whom God had promised to give Abraham a whole nation of descendants!
Genesis 22:1-16 (TLB)
“Later on, God tested
Abraham’s faith and obedience. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,
Lord?” he replied. 2 “Take with you
your only son—yes, Isaac whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah and
sacrifice him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I’ll
point out to you!”………………… 9 When
they arrived at the place where God had told Abraham to go, he built an altar
and placed the wood in order, ready for the fire, and then tied Isaac and laid
him on the altar over the wood. 10 And Abraham took the knife
and lifted it up to plunge it into his son, to slay him. 11 At
that moment the Angel of God shouted to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,
Lord!” he answered. 12 “Lay down the
knife; don’t hurt the lad in any way,” the Angel said, “for I know that God is
first in your life—you have not withheld even your beloved son from me.” ….………….. 15 Then
the Angel of God called again to Abraham from heaven. 16 “I,
the Lord, have sworn by myself that because you have obeyed me and have not
withheld even your beloved son from me, 17 I will bless you
with incredible blessings and multiply your descendants into countless
thousands and millions, like the stars above you in the sky, and like the sands
along the seashore. They will conquer their enemies, 18 and
your offspring will be a blessing to all the nations of the earth—all
because you have obeyed me.”
God is good and he has revealed the
price to us thus we should know that God’s
children are ideally the same but what distinguishes us is the price we pay.
There is no one, be it a minister or the men that God has used who has not paid
a price. In the kingdom of God nothing comes with
out a price attached and that is why those in Salvation who have not yet
understood the purpose of the price are still as they were in the beginning.
God is able to give you whatever you
desire as long as you can pay the price: It does not matter who you are or
where you are from. For instance, if you went into a car dealership to buy the most expensive
car, it will be given to you as long as you are able to pay for it. As long as
you pay the price God instructs of you, he will give you what you desire. God respects
righteous believers but being righteous alone will not pay the price for you
thus the need to combine both. Look at Lazarus who died righteous but poor. The
bible says in Luke 16:19-25 (TLB) that;
“There was a certain rich man,” Jesus said,
“who was splendidly clothed and lived each day in mirth and luxury. 20 One
day Lazarus, a diseased beggar, was laid at his door. 21 As
he lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come
and lick his open sores. 22 Finally
the beggar died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham in the place
of the righteous dead. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and
his soul went into hell. There, in torment, he saw Lazarus in the far distance
with Abraham. 24 “‘Father
Abraham,’ he shouted, ‘have some pity! Send Lazarus over here if only to dip
the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in these
flames.’ 25 “But Abraham said to him,
‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and
Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted and you are in anguish.”
Lazarus was
righteous but poor because he did not pay the price. For
he did not desire to eat with the rich, which means he did not go an extra mile
- If you desire to eat with the wealthy you have to work hard not lightly. If
you are righteous but do not pay the price, you will die poor like Lazarus and you
will be despised by the world. Be reminded that righteous – right standing with
God is the culture for those in Salvation therefore you need to be righteous, but
other things must be bought - the price one has to pay is convicted by the Holy
Spirit; it is not necessarily money, but anything the Holy Spirit commands. When you obey and do something unrelated to money, you reap wealth, blessings among other things.
The price you
pay is not the leftovers from what you have. It has to be a whole not partial sacrifice;
and that is what pleases Jesus, like the widow’s offering. What
causes the difference is that which you give tearfully, extravagantly and
cheerfully.
- Psalm 126:5-6
(AMP) that; “They who sow in tears shall reap with joyful
singing. 6 He who goes
back and forth weeping, carrying his bag of seed [for planting], Will indeed
come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.”
- Luke 21:1-4 (MSG) “Just then
he looked up and saw the rich people dropping offerings in the collection
plate. 2 Then he saw a poor widow
put in two pennies. 3 He said, “The
plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today. 4 All these others made offerings that
they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave
her all!”
- 2 Corinthians
9:7 (AMP) says; “Let each one give [thoughtfully and with
purpose] just as he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver [and delights in the one whose heart
is in his gift].”
Listen to bidding of the Holy Spirit, he
will instruct you on what to offer by way of conviction in your heart and when
you hear that small still voice instructing you do a particular thing, don’t
try to involve your mind by reasoning because that will lead to rebellion hence
disobedience!
Hebrews 3:15 (TLB) says; “……Today if you hear God’s voice speaking to you, do not harden
your hearts against him”
