In Magic: the Gathering, every spell has a mana cost. In order to cast a spell, you have to tap enough lands to produce enough mana to pay the cost. Some of the more powerful spells, like the spells that let you summon dragons, cost a lot of mana; however, there are some effects that can reduce the costs of some spells. For example, Dragonspeaker Shaman is a creature that has the effect "Dragon spells you cast cost (2) less to cast." If I have a Dragonspeaker Shaman on my side, dragons that would normally cost 6 mana only cost 4, and dragons that would normally cost 4 mana only cost 2.
A more real-world example would be coupons. With the right coupon, you can reduce the cost of a purchase and get something for less than what it would normally cost you.
But in spiritual matters, there are no such cost reductions. Every blessing has a cost in the form of a spiritual law that you have to obey in order to qualify for that blessing, and there is (as far as I know) no way to reduce that cost. If you want the blessings of the temple, for example, you have to obey the spiritual laws that allow you to qualify for those blessings. Period. There are no cost-reducing effects that will allow you to obtain those blessings without being fully worthy.
Cost reduction is an interesting mechanic in Magic: the Gathering, and it's a useful tool in commerce, but in the Gospel, it just doesn't happen. If you ever want any blessing, you have to pay the full cost.
1 comment:
Yes and no. The cost is so very much less than its value because our Savior paid the full price and gives us a discount. We have to pay what He asks - usually faith, study, prayer, and trying to live HIs commandments. Rarely is a further discount given. But without Him we could never have afforded almost any of it.
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