How Much Does It Cost

How Much Does It Cost

11/5/2006 Ruth 4:1-6 Luke 14:25-35

How many of you went shopping this week. How many of you were able to find some good bargains? How many of you put something back on the shelf because of the price tag on it? I have a theory that there are three basic kind of shoppers. There is the person that says, “I want that and I’m going to get it no matter what.” There is the person that says, “I want that, but not at that price.” There is the person that first looks at the price, and then decides whether or not he or she wants the item.

When my wife or daughters ever went with me shopping and I was spending the money, if they asked me, what do you think of this on me? My response would be, “how much does it cost.” If they said, “it’s only $15, I’d say, you never looked so good in all your life. But if they said, “my bag it’s $150.00 I’d say, that thing really takes away from your good looks.”

One of the most deceptive things in our society is keeping people from knowing the true cost of an item. A car ad on tv will blasts out, you can have this vehicle for only 299 a month, and then very quickly they will say $2900 down due at the time of signing, tax, title and destination charges are not included. You get a credit card and they blast out 3% interest rate guaranteed, and then in the small print state this rate is good for the first three hours after you use the card, at which time your rate will be 13% and if you are late on this card for any payment or on any other card your rate will be 27% or whatever the maximum amount allowed by law. We think we’re getting a great deal, but we’re actually being ripped off.

Our wallet is not the only part of us that suffer this kind of abuse. But much of it is caused by our own failure to ask the question, “how much does this cost.” You see everyday in life we face choices. Every choice that we make, should involve asking the question how much does it cost. There is a gimmick that goes around saying you can buy this furniture and not make a payment for two years with no interests for two years.

Well the only way you avoid paying interest for two years is to pay the balance in full at the first payment. Otherwise you pay all the interests that would have been due during the two years, plus the interests you will be paying until you pay off the balance. Now the cost is twice what it would have been in the beginning. Life is full of choices that are not paid at the start of making the decision.

Let me give you some examples. How much does it cost to act the fool at school and get suspended? Some say practically nothing. You don’t know how much it is going to cost you. How much does it cost to have sex with someone you’re not married to? You don’t know the cost. You know if we could just find a way to make men pay child support payments before they have sex and get a girl or woman pregnant, we would wipe out unwed pregnancies.

Why because when they realize how much it actually was going to cost them, they would choose not to have sex. $50,000 is a lot of money for a woman you only plan to be with for a half hour or so. There is not a teenager here who can afford to have sex, and yet several are doing it. Why, because they have not answered the question fully, “how much does it cost and they don’t have the maturity to really understand it? None of us appreciate the cost fully of what sexual immorality cost us in the eyes of God.

You need to ask the question how much does dating this person cost? How much does marrying this person cost? I’m not talking about money, I’m talking about what will it cost you emotionally, spiritually and socially. Everybody comes with baggage. How much will it cost to deal with his or her baggage?

How much will it cost for you to leave your spouse and your children? How much will it cost for you to keep ignoring your own child simply because you and the child’s mother or father broke up? How much does it cost to take the job you’re considering. How much does it cost to not go to the doctor because you’re afraid they might find something. How much does it cost for you to keep hating someone? We like to think that we can get things at a discounted price, but we can’t control some of the costs that are involved.