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Nothing is Free

Nothing is Free

Words of Faith 1-15-2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2020

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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     1 Peter 1 

       [17] Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. [18] For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, [19] but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. [20] He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. [21] Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

 

         As our children were growing up, our family would travel and sometimes have the opportunity to stay in a hotel.  I always remember our children urging me to stop at a particular hotel that serves a free breakfast in the morning. 

       "Daddy, please let's go to the place with the free breakfast..." they would say.  Then, they also knew they were in for "the lecture."  They had heard this "Daddy lecture" enough times that they would giggle and even say most of it back with me.  It is the "nothing is free" lecture. It goes like this. 

       "Nothing is free... There is no free breakfast.  Businesses don't give away free food.  It is all paid for somewhere, by someone.  The free breakfast is actually just included in the price.  Nothing is free." 

        "Oh, but Daddy, some things are free," they would argue playfully.  "That store gave away free samples the other day."

        "No, even the samples are not free, they are simply of no cost to you.  The company pays for the sample as a way of promotion.  But the sample is not free."

        "But Daddy, what about the Bibles you give away at church, aren't those free?"  (Preacher's kids love to try and catch their Dad up in his own sense of truth.)

        "No, the Bibles that we offer to people at church are not free.  They are simply paid for by families who want to share the Word of God.  Each Bible costs $5.99.  You see, just because you do not pay the price, does not mean that something is free."

        It is a hard truth to absorb in a culture that loves to get something for free.  Even the air we breathe is not free!  It is a part of a creative effort that we cannot begin to measure.  What did the atmosphere cost God to create?  We do not even know.  And freedom? Freedom is never for free.  In fact, freedom is a costly commodity that is usually paid for dearly with human life and blood. No. Nothing is free.

        But what about grace? No, even grace is not free.  In fact, grace is the costliest commodity in the universe.  By far, the most extravagant item in all of Creation. It is available, at no charge to you, mainly because it is so very expensive that you and I could never afford it.  It is far from free.  If fact, Peter tells is that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers. But we were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.  No, grace is costly. Very costly.

         The problem is that we often do not value the things that come to us at no cost to ourselves, even if they are very costly.   There are always people in the lobby of the hotel who waste the food. After all, it cost them nothing.  The hotel manager knows that the food was not free.  In the grocery, some will take a fist full of samples only to discard them later.  After all, they were "free." 

        The sad thing is that many people treat the precious grace of God similarly since it is of no cost to them.  The truth?  Nothing is free.  Your salvation is very expensive. You were redeemed at a great cost.  Don't discard it.  Don't waste it in the lobby.  Don't squander its riches. Don't take it for granted.  Sure, take an arm full.  Take a heart full!  Then rejoice in the goodness of God who has provided so much.

 

         Father God, thank you for paying the price required so that I might spend eternity with You.  Let me never forget the cost you paid.  Never.  Never ever.  In Jesus' name. 

 

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, and our website, and our church app, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.  

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