We have all heard the pitch “it’s free!” We eventually learn to read the fine print where we learn of the hidden cost and the processing charges. It wasn’t free after all! You have heard the old adage, “if it sounds to good to be true it probably is.” It would also be true to say…“there is no free lunch.”

There are provided lunches but no free ones, there was a cost to someone along the way.

I have bought lunch and other meals for family and friends, and I have been treated to some meals along the way. Several years ago my wife and I were returning from a hospital an hour away where a parishioner had surgery. We decided to stop for lunch in a small town diner. Upon finishing our meal I stepped up to the cash register to pay our bill. It just so happened that they only accepted cash.

I was relieved to see the ATM machine in the corner because I was a few dollars short of having enough. While I was using the money machine, someone else paid our bill. As I returned to the cash register he said that young lady over there paid your ticket! We went over and tried to pay her, she said I just wanted to do something nice for someone today. The thirty something young lady reminded me of my own daughter. We were overwhelmed by her generosity!

Have you ever thought about the cost associated with your eternal soul? The bible is clear as God’s Word states, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23.

What a costly price was paid because of our individual sins. How wonderful that God loved us so much that God Himself gifted us with eternal life if we will simply believe and receive!

I had the opportunity to travel to the Holy Land a couple of years ago, seeing the biblical sights of the earthly ministry of Jesus was truly life changing. Standing near the very place where God’s own Son was crucified was an experience I will never forget. Calvary is the place where the cost of sin was paid in full. Jesus gave His life and shed his blood to purchase eternal life for everyone. This is God’s free gift to us. The scripture states,

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

It is unfortunate that so many people have ignored their own need of salvation. How terrible it is for people to pass into eternity unprepared to meet God. Religion has in some cases complicated what God has made so easy. Salvation of the soul is truly the one thing that is absolutely free to you! Yes it is very costly but someone else paid the price, His name is Jesus!

Please take time to consider your life, it is temporary here. However there is a free gift waiting to be claimed, life eternal in heaven is offered to you and it is absolutely free!