The Most

“Make every effort to confirm your calling and election.” 2 Peter 1:10

“Everything Christian—For Less.” 

Boldly emblazoned on both sides of a freshly delivered box, the words caught my eye and made me think.  Paying half of retail was definitely a bargain, and I was glad to get good stuff at a great price, but I started to wonder if our zeal for a deal in commerce doesn’t sometimes carry over to our Christianity.

God has given us so much—“more than we could ask or imagine”—in a relationship with the Father through the Son by the Spirit, and we are graced with indescribable, eternal life, but to get the most out of what it means to know God, we must “make every effort” to “live up to what we have already attained”(2 Pet 1:5, Phil 3:16).  And there’s the rub.  We want the “Everything Christian” that comes with life in Christ, but we want it “For Less”—less effort, less energy, and less gratitude than such a gift deserves. 

We want the blessings that come from obedience but don’t want to comply with commands that are inconvenient.  We want the intimacy of a close walk with God but want to spend less time in His Word.  We want the peace of God to rule in our hearts but prefer worry over prayer.  We want guidance and direction in decisions but want to consider less of God’s glory and more of our good.  We want the faith, hope, and love without the blood, sweat, and tears—at least not our own.

I’m not pointing fingers; I’m looking in the mirror and talking to the one I see.  The death of two friends within the past five days has made me realize again the incredible present of God’s presence and promise and has caused to me consider how much I take His grace for granted and how I fail to give all of me to all of Him all the time.

The price Jesus paid to defeat death, atone for sin, and redeem His own was much too high for us to try and get by with the least possible input on our part.  Truly we can do nothing to earn our salvation—it is a free gift of grace—but once we’ve believed and received, our response should mirror His sacrifice—absolute and complete.  We should “work out our salvation” with intense determination, loyal diligence, and grateful perseverance (Phil 2:12).

“Everything Christian—For Less.”

It’s a clever motto for a company, but a lousy slogan for real life.  Give God your best—not your less—and live each moment to the most.