Priceless, but Costly

My parents raised me with a pretty strong work ethic. I have pretty much always tried to earn what I could through hard work and determination. We tell our kids the same thing - to keep trying and keep striving and good things would happen. So it is still somewhat shocking when my heavenly father tells me to give it up. He says to stop trying. What is He talking about?

No man can by any means redeem his brother,
Or give to God a ransom for him—
For the redemption of his soul is costly,
And he should cease trying forever—
Psalm 49:7-8

That brought me to the difference between priceless and costly. Priceless is something that carries such extremely high value that it is not purchasable with the currency we have. The price of a soul is beyond our ability to purchase. I could walk into the most expensive store out there and still something in me tells me I could afford it if...  Maybe if I save up more, maybe if I win the lottery, maybe if I am successful in business. But priceless indicates to me there is no chance I could purchase it. So God says forget it. Can we accept it? So much of us still want to strive for something that is beyond our means.

Costly on the other hand sets a very high price tag, one again almost unimaginable. It can be purchased but only under extreme circumstances. The purchaser must have certain qualifications. I remember buying my first car on credit. I qualified to purchase the car - they researched my record and found me credit worthy. God is the only one credit worthy of redemption. But O the cost. I am trying to wrap my head around the incarnation - God becoming a baby. Can't get there. I am trying to wrap my head around redemption - Jesus bearing the brunt of my sins. Can't truly get there. I am trying to wrap my head around resurrection - the payment being accepted. Still not there. Costly may be attainable by God, but not cheap. I believe it fully and I accept it. But can I truly understand it's cost?

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Cor. 8-9

I have found that those truly touched by grace have a hard time not being humble. Why? Because they recognize that which was priceless to them was purchased at great cost by the only one who could redeem their soul.

Bread

Along the Pan-American highway in Peru, there is this bread place that pops up seemingly out of nowhere. It has been our traditional stop whenever we make our way up to a beach spot close to two hours from where Mom and Alberto live. When we first stopped there they had only one oven, but business expansion has pushed this up to I think five ovens.You can get the bread with either cheese (con queso) or olives (con aceitunas). I am not a big fan of olives in anything so of course I opt for the one with cheese.





Isn't it interesting how big a part bread has played in the movement and symbolism of God?

1. Part of the worship of Israel and the sacrificial system
2. God's provision to Israel in the desert was manna, a form of bread.
3. Part of the celebration by Israel (Passover, bread without leaven)
4. Temptation of Jesus ("command these stones to become bread")
5. Part of the Lord's prayer ("give us this day our daily bread")
6. Reference to the body of Christ when celebrating Communion ("this is my body broken for you")
7. Symbolizes free gift of God (Isa 55:1)

Then there are the numerous uses of it in figurative language in the bible. “The bread of tears” (Ps. 80:5) and “the bread of sorrows” (Ps. 127:2) refer to food eaten in grief and distress. The “bread of mourners” (Hos. 9:4) is bread eaten at the time of death. The “bread of adversity” symbolizes hardship (Is. 30:20). The virtuous woman does not eat “the bread of idleness” (Prov. 31:27); she is diligent, hard-working, and productive. (Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

All points to Jesus as the "bread of life" and the "true bread from heaven" (John 13:26-35). He is an eternal supply of divine sustenance. Just as manna predictably supplied nourishment to Israel, Jesus supplies an endless supply of nourishment for the famished spiritual soul, of which I count as one. Passover and Easter meet in the person of Christ, the bread of life.

Carlos

As we have been going to Lima every other year for the past 10 years or so, we have sort of settled into a routine. We now kind of know the routine and we know the area.  Barranco and Miraflores are the districts where my mom and stepfather live. They run along a beautiful coastal bluff walkway or malecon. My walk takes me along the malecon overlooking the Pacific. It is a mix of runners, cyclists, leisurely, and power-walkers. When I first was going there, there was a man who just started talking to me in Spanish as I was on one of my walks. He struck me as kind of nuts and being in a foreign country, I quickly moved on. Then my stepfather told me "O that is just Carlos". Carlos is maybe more eccentric than nuts. Apparently he speaks poetry and other pithy things. So in the past few times to Lima, I have been just saying "Hola Carlos". This year, I recognized him saying to me "Hola Mi Buen Amigo" or "Hello My Good Friend".

Carlos from Dan Quigg on Vimeo.

The Holy Spirit pricked my conscience to remind me how terrible it is when we form snap judgments of people. Each person is made uniquely in God's own image and I believe that each varied personality reflects who God is. That is why Jesus made such a big deal out of human relationships. They are a reflection of God's relationship with us. Those personalities by the way stay with us through eternity - the best of our personalities I mean. Eternity will bring out the best of us while subtracting the worst of us. I am hopeful I will see Carlos there.