Paying the Price – but what price?
by Roger Pook
“Paying the price.” Oh dear. Is this going to be another of those depressing religious words that attempts to spur me on to even greater sacrifice when I’ve got nothing left to give anyway?
Actually, no. It’s a revelation about the price that we really have to pay. It may surprise you. Recently I was praying about how I wanted to move on with God and see him doing greater and greater things. Quick as a flash, the response came: “Are you willing to pay the price?”
This brought me up short. I knew I had to be careful how I replied! We had already given up everything to serve God in Eastern Europe – what more could God want? Homelessness? Hunger? Suffering? Imprisonment? Even death?
Every time I prayed there was the same response – “Are you willing to pay the price?” I was really afraid to answer. Then I remembered what Jesus said in Luke 14:28 “If one of you is planning to build a tower, you sit down first and figure out what it will cost, to see if you have enough money to finish the job.” (GNB) So I was bold enough to ask God: “What exactly is the price that you want me to pay?”
God’s answer was amazing! “The price is all the things that you want to get rid of! Anger, irritation, pride, self-righteousness, fear, anxiety … This is the price that I want you to pay! I’ll take all this rubbish off your hands, and in exchange I’ll give you everything you ask for.”
Now that’s what I call a bargain!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, if getting rid of the rubbish is the price for moving on with you, then I accept! I really don’t want it, so I give it all to you. I am more than willing to pay this price, and to receive whatever plans you have for me. Thank you so much for this amazing offer. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Roger Pook For 21 years Roger Pook and his wife Christine served in Central and Eastern Europe, based in Hungary at the Úr Rétje centre of Ellel Ministries. From there they travelled and ministered across the length and breadth of the former communist world. In 2018 Roger retired as Regional Director and they now live back in the UK, where Roger still serves on the Executive Leadership and as a trustee of The Christian Trust. They still travel for the Kingdom!
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