Word for Word 12/31/25
Pr. James Buckhahn
The Wanderings of a Wayward Follower of Jesus
As Followers of Jesus the Christ, we have received the free gift of God, which is eternal life. Romans 6:23. This free gift is available to all who turn their lives over to our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. And yet this free gift comes with a very high cost. The cost of this “free” gift is twofold. There was and is a cost to the provider of the gift, God and there is a cost to the receiver of the gift, which is us.
Each persona of the Triune God has paid and continues to pay to make this gift of salvation possible. John 3:16 and Romans 8:32 tell us of God’s sacrifice of His only Begotten Son. God gave up Jesus for us. Jesus sacrificed His Life for us. Even the Holy Spirit has a ministry in and through us that has spanned the ages, constantly trying to change or at least guide the stubborn hearts of sinful people. John 14:26.
As I mentioned, there is a cost of this “Free Gift” to the one who accepts the gift. It costs us the denial of self, worldly life and possessions. Galatians 2:20 states it clearly, “and it is no longer I who lives, but it is Christ who lives in me”. This next statement may sound harsh but the reality is this… we can be a slave to this world’s approach to life or we can be a slave to God’s approach to life which is eternal. We cannot have both. If you put God in the driver’s seat of your life, you cannot be a backseat driver too. What we must do, is as the old song says, “Trust and Obey for there’s no other way…”.
As a Pastor it is my calling to not ignore our cost of accepting this gift of salvation. To accept this gift requires that high cost on our part. Yes, salvation cannot be earned, nor merited, by any amount of works on our part. We are and we continue to be “unworthy servants” Luke 17:10. However, through the blood of Jesus, the Father sees us as righteous individuals and our Lord still requires us to do His will. We do His works not to gain salvation…. We do His works to tell the world we already have it. Our Triune God has and is paying the high cost to offer us this gift of salvation…. Are you paying the high cost of accepting it? Are you using your time, talents, and resources to please yourself or for making disciples for Christ, demonstrating how much you love your Lord?
Time is short, we must act or continue to act now. It is truly a matter of eternal life or eternal death. Here is a way to analyze how well you are living a Life in Christ. If you were arrested today and put on trial for being a Follower of Jesus, would there be concrete evidence to convict you? Or is your faith based on circumstantial evidence that would not stand up in a court room? Be blessed and be a blessing to others. Amen.
Pastor James Buckhahn, United Methodist Church, Lansing
