We gave our 2-year-old son a pair of new boots recently. He was so happy that he didnt take them off until it was bedtime. But the next day he forgot all about the boots and put on his old sneakers. My husband said, I wish he knew how much things cost.
The boots were expensive, but a young child doesnt know about working hours, salaries, and taxes. A child receives the gifts with open arms, but we know that he cant be expected to fully appreciate the sacrifices his parents make to give him new things.
Sometimes I behave like a child. With open arms I receive Gods gifts through His many mercies, but am I thankful? Do I consider the price that was paid so I can live a full life?
The cost was expensivemore than corruptible things, like silver or gold. As we read in 1 Peter, it required the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot (1:18-19). Jesus gave His life, a high price to pay, to make us part of His family. And God raised Him from the dead (v.21).
When we understand the cost of our salvation, we learn to be truly thankful.
INSIGHT: The description of Jesus as a lamb (1 Peter 1:19) is found throughout the New Testament, yet it has its roots in the Old Testament. John the Baptist announced Jesus arrival by calling Him the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29). And Paul referred to Jesus as our Passover (1 Cor. 5:7), which points us back to the Passover lambs offered each year in Israel as a symbol of Gods rescue of His people from Egypt. This imagery finds its fullest voice in the book of Revelation where the word Lamb is found 30 times and where Jesus is seen as the Lion who laid down His life as the ultimate sacrificial Lamb (Rev. 5:5-6).
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