Proverbs 2:1-5

Whatever something costs you is exactly what it is worth to you.

The more you pour into something, or someone, the more it (they) mean to you.

If discipleship, spiritual maturity, transformation, growth as a human, whatever you call it, was not costly, it would not be valued. If God zapped us with instant spiritual maturity the day we called on Him, what would it mean to us? Would we value it greatly? I believe He zaps us with desire for Him and His kingdom (when we truly ask, seek, and knock), but not with maturity. That takes time and effort.

I guess the other side of all this is that we can see what we value by looking at where our energy mostly goes. Everything costs us something. Even doing nothing all day everyday, tho does not cost us in the effort category, does have a high cost, right? Health, relationships, vitality, etc. So look at what you’re paying for or into. Not just with money, tho that is obviously a great indicator of your value system. But what are you paying for with your time? Your focus? Your thought life?

Learning to play a musical instrument is costly.

Raising children well is very costly.

Learning a different language is costly.

Building rock-hard rhomboids is costly.

Having a close relational connection with Jesus is costly.

Matthew 2:1-12

Speaking of wisdom and cost, who were these Magi???

Now they took very seriously “set your mind on understanding” from Proverbs! They studied like mad.

And it paid off.

As Proverbs says it does.

They found the Savior of the world…

In the flesh.

Who knows what you might find when you devote yourself, your life to searching out God and His ways…

We are capable of accomplishing so much by dedicating ourself to a focused task–> Landing a robot on Mars, running a 4 minute mile, making tons of money, killing thousands of people with bombs, saving one person from a horrific life thru mentoring or adoption….

finding the Savior of the world….

At the end of your life, what will you be thankful for (or regret) putting great time, effort, and energy into? One of the greatest regrets I imagine would be not putting great effort into anything. Or putting great effort into that which does not really, ultimately matter.

Who knows what you might find when you devote yourself, your life to searching out God and His ways…