Do You Have Enough Money$$$??? - May 7, 1996 

It's still light out at 7:30PM - Have you noticed? Ever since I was a kid I could really appreciate the first day of spring. Now I'm not talking about the first "official" day on the calendar; I'm talking about the first day that we can walk bare-footed over new grass. Tevas become common footwear, shorts abound, and the smell of the lawn freshly cut fills our noses and thoughts. Ah, Spring! But will it fade away?

We all know it's going to happen. Oh, maybe not right away, but soon will come the first and then the second and then the third of a billion bug bites we'll endure until October. And then moisture builds up, and humidity sends us scrambling for air conditioning, if we can get it, or insomnia if we can't. The "wonderfulness" of Spring that we enjoy so much fades. Have you noticed the frustration of "temporaryness?"

Will you suppose with me? Let's suppose (although admittedly its a bit absurd) that we could pay for a spring that never fades. How much would it be worth to us? Easily $100. Easily $10,000. If a person would take a mortgage for a home, then certainly that same person would take a second mortgage to pay for this.

There are many students who live their lives by the fact that God wants more for us than just a silly 10,000 bucks! He wants a relationship with us, whether we're a struggling work-study student, or whether we're a successful businessperson. Yet none of us can afford it.

The Bible tells us that there is a price that needs to be paid before we can have a personal relationship with God (some places this can be found are: Romans 6:23, John 3:3). But the cost is huge - certainly more than a $10,000. And only God can pay for it.

That's why God came down to earth as Jesus Christ. He has paid the price none of us could ever have afforded. The $100 cookie was given to us for free because someone else paid for it. A personal relationship with God that never fades is ours for free because someone else paid for it. But in order to get it we must each acknowledge and thank Jesus for paying for our personal relationship with God. When we do, we experience a new life in Christ, and when we die, green pastures that will never fade are ours. It's God's way; it's what he always wanted to give us; it's ours for the taking... it starts with us asking.

I'm writing this because I have acknowledged that I could never earn a relationship with God. I asked Jesus to pay for it for me and he has filled my heart and life. There are lots of students on this campus who love Jesus and have that personal relationship with God. If you're interested in the joy that never fades, and the love that changes a heart, then talk to us about it. Many of us go to Christian Impact or InterVarsity meetings. Feel free to stop by anytime. And if you don't want to go to a meeting filled with people you don't know, then you can always call me anytime. (I promise I'm not too intimidating!) My phone number is 508-559-7381 and my email is: marksohm@ultranet.com.

Please consider asking Jesus Christ to pay your way to God. He'd love to do it. His arms are wide open, and unlike a Spring day, he never fades away.