In 1980, the average cost of a new car was $7,210. Only 10 years later, the average cost was $15,400. I have heard it said that inflation doubles the cost of things every 10 years so the average cost of cars is increasing at a little more than the rate of inflation predictions. Have you noticed that at least in the States, car commercials never use the total cost of a car anymore? Their advertisements all focus on how much savings are possible with a good credit report or good trade in or some gimmick to get you from the TV advertisement to their show room. Of course the deal seems to change during negotiations where games are played to distract the buyer from the final real cost. Can anyone tell me with a straight face what you paid for your last car? If you are like me, I got so mixed in with how much down payment I needed and what I would get for my trade in to get the monthly note down to a manageable number. Of course we can always just pay cash and forget about the monthly expense. Right? Well yes, but what about that savings we plan to use in the future? We then begin to leverage our savings with the cash outlay and eventually convince our selves it is a good deal to hold on to our cash for a future expense just in case. Then we need to decide how much of our savings are we going to part with as a down payment. Very stressful time I am sure if you are like most of us.
Have you ever considered the value we place on our mode of transportation or our place we call home or our vacation to get away from it all? It simple terms, a down payment is that initial payment made for something bought on credit. The deal is done when we negotiate how much to put down up front and how much interest we are willing to pay for the balance of the money owed. It is a promise we make with the seller to pay back in full with some extra over time for the right to use the acquired item in the present. The housing market took a huge hit that impacted all markets when sellers got overly zealous to hook buyers on homes they could not afford and did not need to live in comfort. The idea was too simple as sellers believed housing cost would always go up so buyers could always pay back. In many locations, that simple idea fell apart so that buyers were under water in debt on homes they could not sell nor afford. Care should be taken to never over value a thing over our ability to pay for the thing. True, but what value do we put on ourselves?
Herodias danced for King Herod and in return Herod promised too much. The final payment was the head of John the Baptist. (Mark 6:14-29) The payment for a human’s head was a dance. Seems absurd but the value of humans even today are miniscule when compared to some argument leading to a shooting or other tragic event. The damage to life is done and the value of a life lost does not compare. Consider your life for a moment. What value do you put on your life. Would you give your only son to save the life of another? We have received an inheritance in Christ as God’s plan for humanity. We are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit because we believed in Christ. The Holy Spirit is the down payment on our inheritance applied toward our redemption. (Ephesians 1:11-14)
Can we really place a value on our souls? The down payment is likewise as the Holy Spirit cannot be valued in today’s market. The Holy Spirit guides us and helps us and more importantly shows us how to live while we journey to redemption. It is a daunting task to be valued in such a way that our value is always increasing as we become more willing to accept the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our ultimate mission in life. Do not be like Herod who opened his mouth and made an open ended promise. Instead, be like Jesus who taught us how to live and sacrificed it all so that we could be sealed with the promise of everlasting peace.
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