Dear Mt. Olive family and friends,

I just got back from the dentist’s office. (His office is on Payne Avenue – how ironic!) Today’s visit was painless, however. Dr. Watson simply glued a brand new crown into place, gave it a gentle tap, held it steady for a couple minutes, and, with a smile, sent me on my way.

Well, the visit wasn’t exactly painless! That single tooth cost me $721.50. But if it lasts as long as the original crown (I got it when I was about 11 and the dentist told me it would probably need to be replaced when I was a teenager!) it will be worth the money.

Now as you know, I’m an avid bargain hunter and I’m pretty careful and selective in how I spend the money the good Lord has entrusted to my care. So when I was given a sheet containing a list of all customary dental charges, I did take a little time considering the options. I could get one tooth for $721, or a whole upper plate for $950. Wow! What a cost savings! Simple arithmetic would more than prove that spending a couple hundred extra dollars for 16 teeth is a much better deal than $721 for just one. 60 bucks a tooth! Who can argue! Plus, most of those other 15 teeth on my upper jaw are full of fillings and are in need of regular dental care.

$950 for the whole works seems like an economic no-brainer! So why did it take all of 30 seconds for me to rule it a non-option?

I suppose the answer lies in what I would be giving up.

There are so many things in life that appear – at first glance – to be “a good deal”. Satan is a master at disguising the truth. Our sinful flesh so easily falls for - and yields - to his crafty tricks and cunning arguments. And the world around us, which has already sold its soul to the devil, continues to lure us into his trap.

I suspect that what happens all too often is that we listen to Satan and yield to worldly influence without seriously considering just what we are giving up.

It seems that today so many folks “just don’t have time” for personal or group Bible study, private prayer time, volunteer service, or even weekly worship. But have those individuals really considered what it is they have given up? If you are one of these people, do you realize what you have given up by failing to make time for the really important things of life?

When we refuse to set aside time for our spiritual growth and our walk with the Lord, we are opening ourselves up to all kinds of worldly ideas and demonic influence. And let’s be honest, failure to spend quality time with our Lord and His Word is just that: a rebellious refusal on our part to honor Him with the time He has given us.

No matter where we turn, we are bombarded with this fallen world’s opinions of what “the good life” is. It’s all wrapped up in money, pleasure, physical fitness and beauty, and lots of free time with nothing to do but enjoy all the “good things” that money has bought. One gets the impression that to sell your soul to the devil is not a bad idea, considering all the “good things” you get in return.

Ah, but “what good is it for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul? Or what can you give in exchange for your soul?” (Mark 8:36-37 TNIV) Dear people, loved by God, please do not fail to consider the cost of following the no-time-for-God attitude of those lost in unbelief and sin.

The compassionate, caring, and considerate Christ wants so much for us to be close to Him. In His holy Word, He literally begs us to come to Him, walk with Him, share His life, bask in His love, and experience His blessings. He promises and provides pardon, peace, and power. He sends security and strength for times of sorrow and suffering. He supplies supremacy over Satan’s sinful temptations. How could we even think of giving all that up to chase after the empty promises of that ugly father of lies, and blindly follow the futile follies of this fallen world?

Even more than that, Jesus offers us an eternity in His Father’s mansions. While those blinded by sin and desperately lost in unbelief scavenge the sewers and rummage the “rudiments of the world” (Colossians 2:8 KJV), we are chosen to follow a more noble path and walk a higher road. We have been called to follow Jesus.

Not all that glitters is gold! Please, dear people of God, do not be led astray by a glitzy gone-wild-world that is plummeting headlong into hell. Count the cost of forsaking Christ. Ponder what lavish love He has for you and what profound pain He suffered for you. Rest in His sure promises rather than in the hollow, deceptive lies of this “unbelieving and perverse generation,” (Luke 9:41).

Indeed, dear children of God, our true motivation for clinging closely to Jesus and embracing His life-changing Word is found in this: meditating upon what He has given up for us. By focusing on His perfect life lived for us and His substitutionary death on Calvary’s cross for us, we are energized and empowered to give up our time, talents, and treasures in service to Him. St. Paul said it best: “Christ’s love compels us,” (2 Corinthians 5:14).

Our Lord Jesus continues to come to us through the Gospel preached, taught, read, and studied, and through His precious Supper taken, eaten, drunk, and believed. Don’t – for any reason – give up those blessings.

The truth, friends, is that the “good things” and the “good life” are already ours. They aren’t out there in the elusive dreams of a sin-sick society but right here in the sure, solid, sturdy structure of His Church – His people gathered around Word and Sacrament. His people, safely nestled in the ever-loving arms of Jesus.

Is there really any other place you’d rather be?

Pastor Carl Henkel