Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
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From a conversation with Brother Jimmy Tolle
In recent weeks, people in this country have suffered an enormous, sudden rise in the price of gasoline. Two huge hurricanes swept through the Gulf of Mexico and damaged the nation’s oil production facilities, giving the marketers of oil and gas an excuse to demand much, much more for their product. The apostle Paul would not be surprised to learn that the love of money still reigns supreme in the human heart.
Referring to this enormous increase in the price of gas and oil, Brother Jimmy remarked one morning recently, “I’m glad that God’s price doesn’t change.” On earth, the more that people want a product or service, the more men charge for it. That is the greedy nature of man. God is not like that. No matter how desperately we may feel the need for His mercy, the price remains the same: repent and believe the gospel.
One could say, I suppose, that one of the factors that causes the prices of earthly goods to rise is that supplies of earthly materials are not infinite, and the less available those materials become, the more valuable they become. But in practical terms, there is so much oil lying in reserve beneath the ground in various parts of the earth that, if men wanted to, they could make it far more available to people than it currently is. God has put enough oil in the ground to supply man’s needs. So, the reality is that unused oil reserves are close enough to being infinite that a shortage of them is man-made; oil producers have made oil scarce in order to justify charging a high price to those who need it.
The same is true with diamonds. There is actually an over-abundance of diamonds in the world, but they are being withheld from the public. And they are not being marketed so that diamonds may appear to be more rare and valuable than they really are. God alone knows how many other products are being withheld by greedy men from their fellows in order to force others to pay more for them.
The supply of “the waters of life”, the holy Ghost, is not held back by our God in order to make it more expensive. God withholds nothing from the upright (Ps. 84:11). It is His good pleasure to give us His Spirit (Lk. 12:32). In the kingdom of God, the problem is never supply; it is demand. It is difficult to find people who want the “righteousness, peace, and joy” that Jesus freely gives to those who desire it. But whether no one on earth wants it or everyone on earth wants it, the price remains the same because God is good. He is not like greedy men. He is motivated by compassion for us, not love of Himself.