Today Only, 90% Off!!!!

Today is Rebecca Black Friday (see video).  Merchants across ‘Merica and all over the interpipes are “slashing” prices.  In reality, this is “truth in pricing” day – we see how much mark-up goes into the junk we buy the rest of the year.  When it comes to discounts, I don’t get out of bed for less than 20% off.  My snailmailbox gets flooded with offers of 10% and 15% off.  Why do they even bother?  I guess today we’ll see the stuff-we-can’t-live-without marked down as much as 50% and 60%.  Mr. Retailer, you’ve got my full attention.  More door-busting deals after this word from our Sponsor:

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  (Romans 5:8)

What would you do for 90% off?  Would you get up at 2am?  Would you skip the Thanksgiving feast altogether and tent it in front of Best Buy?  Hmmm?  What’s it worth to you?  You see where I’m going with this?

God asks followers of Jesus to “sacrifice” 10% of their income to Him.  Yes, the rest of our lives are to be dedicated to His service, but there’s no loss of use there.  Jesus on the other hand… He obeyed God and it cost Him 100%.  Jesus gave 100% of His life to God.  We give 10% and live at a 90% discount of what Jesus paid.  Let’s try to keep some perspective.  Sometimes followers of Jesus will talk about giving up one thing or another since they became followers.  Sometimes followers of Jesus will not indulge in certain foods or behaviors that others enjoy.  Sometimes followers of Jesus take entire parts of their lives (see this post http://www.followillustrated.com/2011/11/greater-love.html) and set them aside for the sake of following Jesus more closely.  Let’s not consider that a “loss”.  I’m going to be uncharacteristically blunt here… Jesus hung on a cross.  Don’t whine about what you’re “giving up”.  You’re living at a 90% discount.  Take it.  Take it all day long.  Our Sponsor is shouting, “But wait, there’s more!”:

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.  Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ. (Philippians 3:7-8)

Clark H Smith