“Everybody has their price.” At least, that’s what they say, and that’s the principle that governed Simon’s thinking. When Simon saw the apostles laying their hands on people, and that the Holy Spirit was blessing them, he wanted to be able to do these same things. So Simon offered money to the apostles. We live in a world where, if we’re willing to pay the right price, we can get anything we want. But this is not the way it works with God. Whereas worldly money may be able to buy worldly things, it certainly can’t buy spiritual blessings. The only currency valuable enough to pay for the blessings of God is the blood of Jesus. If we ever think we can pay the price—with money, with good works, or with anything else—we demonstrate that we’ve desperately misunderstood God’s standards. We need to be very careful that we don’t presume upon God’s grace and, like Simon, be destroyed along with the things with which we think we can buy God’s favor.

What does your life say about what you truly value? How will you live to demonstrate that Jesus is of highest worth to you?