No Payment Is Ever Enough

Psalm 49:7-8

⁷ Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death^[a]
    by paying a ransom to God.
⁸ Redemption does not come so easily,
    for no one can ever pay enough

In the hustle and bustle of Christmas, we get excited to give gifts and see family. 2020 and all its issues have shown us how important family is. All the Zoom calls and FaceTimes could never replace the hugs and laughter we get when we assemble. There is truly no substitute.

If you read the Bible enough, you start to see how God is setting it all up for Jesus Christ to enter this world. Just like real, warm hugs have no substitute, there is no substitute for Christ. We often attempt to replace Him with good deeds or the occasional trip to church, but Christ is something we can never mimic or copy and get the same results.

The Psalmist reminds us that in every attempt to atone for our sins, we fail. It always comes short of true redemption. In fact, he says that no payment is ever enough. Have you been to this place before? If you have not, then your Christianity lacks something essential, the reality of verses 7 and 8 above.

Throughout history, we have the luxury of reading man’s attempts to redeem the sins they have committed. This process stretches beyond Christianity and bleeds into every religion you can find. Yes, the overall drive is to get to a place where redemption is real and final. Man has succeeded in creating many avenues to this final goal of redemption.

It is like a maze, and all of the little pathways lead to one inevitable conclusion: no payment is ever enough. Have you been to this place? The good news is that this place is exactly where the Lord wants you to be. You have not lost your way, but have found the true path instead. We can never redeem our own lives or ever ransom enough Sundays to pay for our sins. Merry Christmas, world. Here is Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life, and no one can get to the Father except through Him. The perfect ransom, not from us, but from God Himself, because He knew no payment is ever enough. Merry Christmas. Jesus is the payment that redeems your life from death, and all you have to do is believe.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help us to realize our own unworthiness. I pray we cast all of our crowns before Your throne every day and never attempt to atone for our sins with our own ways or righteousness, because Your Word says that our righteousness is as filthy rags. I pray we bow our knees in reverence and honor to the one true God who gave us Jesus to redeem us from ourselves and our sin. In Jesus’ name, amen.