When I was nineteen years old, a good friend’s sister scheduled a train trip to the east coast, and I offered to drive her to the railroad station on the day of her departure. I further insisted on carrying her luggage into the coach so she would not have to heave it into the overhead rack. While fulfilling my noble intentions, I felt a sudden lurch as the train pulled away from the station. 

Today we sometimes say that sin will take you farther than you want to go, it will cost you more than you want to pay, and it will keep you longer than you want to stay. Whenever I hear those words, I am reminded of my unscheduled train trip. Just as the increasing speed of the train made it impossible to disembark, so sin quickly results in strong habits that pull us far deeper into evil than we ever intended to go. 

I had not planned to pay any rail fare that day, but when the conductor came around, I had no choice. While the pleasures of sin may seem readily apparent, the hidden costs are always exorbitant. Payment in full is unavoidable, and unless the blood of Jesus Christ has paid our fare, our eternal doom is sealed. 

Fortunately, the next town was not far away, and I was able to call my brother to come and get me. Normally I would not have minded being with my friend’s sister, but her obvious amusement at my predicament made the enforced stay far longer than what I liked. Although forsaking everything to follow Jesus may seem like a high price to pay, rejecting His offer of deliverance from sin has a far greater price—a payment that continues into eternity. The choice is ours. 

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Revelation 22:12

~ Pete Lewis