無可比擬的代價
作者：Robert Surgenor 中譯：以恩
在我手中的小金塊價值三十五萬美元。在這裡，金條從地板一直疊到天花板。在我眼前是一片金光閃閃的純金塊，代表一筆巨大的財富。
在另一個房間裡，我看到有個電爐正在融化價值成千上萬的金子，把它們放進模具裡。在通過一台檢測機的測試後，我和帶我來參觀在渥太華的加拿大造幣廠的朋友，離開了這個守衛森嚴的地方。
很划算的交易
美國政府曾經用錢作了一些很划算的交易。在 1803 年，傑克遜總統只用一千五百萬就從法國手中買下了現在的路易西安娜州，它的土地面積大約是 885,000 平方英里。在 1857 年的三月裡，美國和蘇聯做了一個更好的交易，只用 7.2 百萬就買下了阿拉斯加。阿拉斯加的面積之廣，它使美國的面積增加了五分之一。
金錢買不到的東西
金錢可以買到床，但是買不到睡眠；可以買書，買不到頭腦；買得到食物，買不到胃口；買得到服飾，買不到美麗；買得到房子，買不到一個家；買得到藥物，買不到健康；買得到奢侈品，買不到文化；買得到娛樂，買不到幸福；買得到十字架，買不到救主；買得到一個教堂的座位，買不到天堂。
你永遠不能因為敬虔，誠實或熱情，或做任何對的事而得到救恩。永生是一個禮物，不能用人的努力或財富去獲取。這是神對永生的定義：" 因為罪的工價乃是死，唯有神的恩賜，在我們的主基督耶穌裡乃是永生"（羅6:23）。神提醒那些已經擁有救恩的人："知道你們得贖，脫去你們祖宗所傳流虛妄的行為，不是憑著能壞的金銀等物， 乃是憑著基督的寶血，如同無瑕疵、無玷污的羔羊之血"（彼前1:18-19）。
耶穌基督在十字架上流出寶血去承擔神對罪的刑責，當祂付出了完全的代價之後，祂說："成了！"(約19:30)。只有當我們相信主耶穌為了我們的罪承擔了罪的刑責，並接受祂做我們的救主，我們才能成為神的兒女，並且得到神所賜的永生。你不必做什麼，只要相信祂。神的話向我們保證： "凡接待祂的，就是信祂名的人，祂就賜他們權柄做神的兒女"（約1:12）。你願意今天就相信祂嗎？
THE GREATEST PRICE EVER PAID
Written by Robert Surgenor
The small piece of gold held in my hand was worth $350,000. Gold bars were stacked from the floor to the ceiling. I was looking at a vast fortune in pure gleaming gold!
In another room I saw an electric furnace which was melting millions of dollars worth of gold to be poured into moulds. After passing through a detecting machine, I walked out of the heavily guarded building with the friend who had made possible my unique tour of the Canadian Mint in Ottawa, Canada.
A Steal of a Deal
The United States has made a few astounding purchases with its money. In 1803, President Jefferson purchased 885,000 square miles of what is now known as Louisiana from France for a mere 15 million dollars. In March of 1857, the USA made an even better deal with Russia when it purchased Alaska for only 7.2 million dollars! So large was Alaska that it increased the land area of the entire nation by one-fifth!
What Money Cannot Buy
Money can buy a bed, but not sleep; books, but not brains; food, but not an appetite; finery, but not beauty; a house, but not a home; medicine, but not health; luxuries, but not culture; amusements, but not happiness; a crucifix, but not a Saviour; a church pew, but not Heaven.
You can never pay for your salvation by being religious, honest, or zealous of what is right. Eternal life is a gift, and cannot be purchased by human effort or wealth. God speaks about salvation (eternal life) in these terms. "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Possessors of God's salvation are reminded: "Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold . . . but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18, 19).
The Lord Jesus Christ bore God's punishment for sin by shedding His blood on the cross. When full payment was made He cried, "It is finished" (John 19:30). It is only when we believe that the Lord Jesus took the punishment for our sin and receive Him as our Saviour that we become sons of God and possessors of God's eternal salvation. There is nothing left for you to do but to trust Him. The Word of God assures us that "As many as received Him (the Lord Jesus Christ), to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12). Will you do it today?