How many things in life are truly free? Thoughts, feelings, winking, sense of hearing, taste, smell, balance, touch, and even breathing… Yep, all of those things cost zero dollars. You know what else all of those things have in common? They are all things we did not create. Our abilities to think, to smell, to cleverly crack a joke-all of those are dependent on the way God chose to create us. Without his say-so we wouldn’t be able to do those things, and some of us don’t have the ability to do all of those things (I have seen some pretty sad attempts at winking). Nevertheless, if you were blessed with movement, senses, and comprehension all of these things are free whether you give them away or receive them.
Pretty much everything else in life comes with a cost. A dollar amount, a sacrifice, or at someone else’s expense.
Why do we all get excited when there are sales or free things being offered? It draws us in as if we have no self-control. The reason free is so great is because whatever it is that is now free was not at one point or another. If something was always free, we wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to have it, am I right? Things that have always been free are old news, considered to have no value, or have become something people feel they have a right to. In fact, we actually pay for things that are old news (hair ties), have no value (canned air-ok that may be arguable), and things we feel we have a right to (privacy-oh yes we pay for that).
So whose life is truly free? Well how about that sparrow that Jesus talks about? In the bible, you could get a two for one deal-one coin for two birds. We, as humans, may have placed value on their lives, but for the sparrow to live it costs them nothing. Still, it does cost others something…worms lose their lives as do blades of grass. Trees give up space and so does the sky. Birds have a right to eat, breath, fly, and rest just like we do. It costs them zero dollars, but their lives do accumulate cost.
You know what else is free? Jesus. If you want a free life-where it costs $0.00 to be loved the way you are, to live forever in a magnificent place, you just have to follow Jesus…which monetarily is free. Do not be fooled, however. There is sacrifice involved. The shocking part is, that sacrifice was already made by someone else on your behalf. You choose Jesus and you have chosen the free life. Don’t walk around thinking it cost nothing. At one point this cost so much that no one could afford it…not one. Root your gratefulness for the free life you live as a follower of Jesus in the idea that at one point it wasn’t free. It’s not a right or a priviledge only given to some. This is a choice you make. You count the cost before you do. You sacrifice your sin (yep God wants your garbage) and get free stuff like salvation and love and grace. This free gift has legitimate value beyond measure. It’s a choice, however, as much as it is a choice not to. Is life gonna get easier now that it’s free? No, but let’s be honest…is life easy anyway? Life costs you something every day without Jesus. James 5:9 says, “the judge is standing at the door.” If you choose Jesus he is opening that door wide to welcome you in, excited you were bold enough to accept his invitation to the free life; the life that he paid for so that you could have it for free. If there was ever a deal you didn’t want to miss, it’s this one. God loves you, he made you, he paid for you…go live the free life, and in return for this gift invite others to come with you.
Untrained Christian 