Testimony 26/03/07: Not With Gold or Silver

One of my turtles went into a fight and came out with a broken jaw. She got a few shots of antibiotics due to the degree of her injuries, yet still infections set in. She is currently unable to eat. So I buy an oral needle. My heart breaks whenever I force feed her… how she struggled… how she vomited what I had put into her tummy…

When I bought my turtle, the price was only IDR 3,000. That was over 10 years ago. She was very cute, barely over two centimeters long. Ten years on, she doesn’t look that cute anymore. But I love her still. I love her so much that I am willing to spend a considerable amount of time and money to get her fixed. But even after a month, she is not getting better. I am desperate. I thought to myself… how much more am I willing to spend for my turtle?

Many people just take it easy: get a new turtle! It’s so cheap! It’s so easy! To date, I’ve spent IDR 200,000 for vet and medications. That is almost 70 times the price when I got her! How much more will I be willing to spend?

It is the same when it comes to Jesus Christ. We are sinners. Unrighteous. Worthless. God could simply get rid of us and created new super humans… the ones that can’t sin. The ones that can’t break his heart. It’s so easy: just a Word away. Yet while we were still sinners, he died for us.

I have to think many times to spend that much money on my so-called “cheap” turtle. But how much is God willing to pay to redeem us? No… not with gold or silver. Not with precious stones or things that will perish. He redeemed us with the precious blood of Jesus! That is how much God is willing to spend for you and me! We’ll never truly know how much it cost to see our sins upon that cross. Oh, how precious we are in His sight!

“Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:7-8