You Get What You Pay For

Maybe I'm weird, but there are things that I have absolutely no problem paying big money for while there are others that it ticks me off to have to pay anything for. It could be that I know paying more for the things that seem mundane (toilet paper) or mostly useless (insurance...at least until you need it) takes away from the money available for things I love, like electronics!

The things is, there is almost always a reason why something comes at a bargain basement price. Anyone who has ever bought the absolute cheapest package of toilet paper and then spent an afternoon picking splinters out of their backside knows what I mean. A bargain is a good thing, and shopping around for the best price on an item is a very worthy endeavor. But the knock-off brand isn't going to work quite right and the off-brand isn't going to taste as good. Sometimes it can be even worse, like buying cheap insurance and then realizing hail damage wasn't covered.

God gave Solomon wisdom and one of the first places that Solomon put that wisdom to use was in the building of his palace and the Lord's Temple. 1 Kings 7:9-12 describes the materials used:

All these structures, from the outside to the great courtyard and from foundation to eaves, were made of blocks of high-grade stone cut to size and smoothed on their inner and outer faces. The foundations were laid with large stones of good quality, some measuring ten cubits and some eight. Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams. The great courtyard was surrounded by a wall of three courses of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the temple of the LORD with its portico.

Solomon knew that in order to build these structures to last and to make them special, he had to use the best of materials. Whether it be our relationship with God, our spouse, kids, friends, whoever it is...in order to build them special and so they last, we have to give our best. We only get out of life the quality of the work we put into life. It takes time and effort, sure, but the material we use during construction makes all of the difference.

What relationships are yours that haven't been built with your best? Which ones could use a little remodeling? Don't let the sun go down on you again before you pay them the attention they deserve!