Thursday, June 12, 2014
Isaiah 55:1 Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE
$33,000. According to one source, that's the average student debt for college graduates this year. Perhaps you can relate because you're about to or have already been making monthly payments on a debt. Still, in some ways it's a bargain, at least compared to receiving no education. No matter how great our talents or abilities, without learning what they are and how to use them, we would flounder in life. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to be active, involved members of society. For example, working, shopping, driving, and navigating the internet would all be huge frustrations unless we had learned to read. No one disputes the importance of a good education.
Yet, while someone may be willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars for an education preparing them for earthly life, the same person sadly may hesitate or even refuse to consider learning what is vital not only for truly understanding this life, but for preparing for what is to come. It is an education which can only be found in one place. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him, but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).
To know God and His Son who died to save the world from sin is to know what matters more than anything else, for the day is coming when the stock market, homes, cars, careers, money, and popularity, will all have zero value. "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?" (Matthew 16:26).
What would you be willing to pay for peace with God, a guaranteed place in His kingdom, His daily care now, and an awesome home with Him in the future? We'd be ready to sign as many loans as it would take, right? But salvation is not for sale. We could never pay enough. All the money in the world can't pay for a single sin or buy forgiveness. Incredibly, God's message to the world is this: "Come, all you who are thirsty ... Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. ... Listen, listen to me ... and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. ... Hear me that your soul may live" (Isaiah 55:1ff.). Come, hear, learn, believe! Forgiveness and life are free gifts of God's grace for all!
