PRAY: “God, help me to do the right thing, even when it’s hard to_.” REFLECT: Have you ever made the wrong choice because the cost of making the right choice seemed too high? Are you glad you made the choice you did? Would you do it differently if you could? As Proverbs 21:21 says, “Whoever pursues godliness and unfailing love will find life, godliness, and honor.” But he does promise that obeying his commands will accomplish our good-maybe not right now, but in the long run, and certainly in eternity. He does not promise that we will be rewarded in this life for every right choice we make. That’s what God’s trying to tell us in today’s Scripture reading. It could even cost you your life… and your soul. Doing wrong can end up costing you friends. But though it may seem hard at the time, the price of doing wrong is usually steeper-maybe not right away, but in the long run.

There’s no doubt about it, doing the right thing can be hard. It’s enough to make you wonder why anybody would choose to do right. Sometimes doing the right thing can make you feel like a party-pooper or a geek. To be honest, sometimes the price of doing the right thing can be pretty steep, too. Now, the price of some of those items may seem steep, $451,000 for a baseball card? (That’s what hockey great Wayne Gretzky and a partner paid for the rare card in 1991.) Others-like a postage stamp or a newspaper-may seem like bargains by comparison. ONE-MINUTE COMMERCIAL DURING MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL See if you can match the items in the column at left with the price tags in the column on the right:

One of the games contestants play on the show involves matching different products with the correct prices. Have you ever seen the game show The Price Is Right? It’s been on TV since Noah was a teenager. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope,” (Jeremiah 29:11). “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.

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