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Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.
What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.
1 Corinthians 9:16-18
This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
We are a society willing to pay for something we really want and we can be totally compulsive (and even impulsive) about it.
It used to be in the past that a person would have to save up to make purchases. Credit wasn’t anywhere near what it is today. Yes, you could get loans for larger purchases like cars and houses but for most everything else, you paid cash.
If you wanted a new television, furniture, or appliance, you saved until you could purchase it outright.
If you saw an item you wanted but didn’t want it to be purchased before you saved up your money, you could often place it on what was called layaway. The store would hold it for you (lay it away) and you would make payments to the store until the amount of the item was collected. Then you could take it home.
In some grocery stores, especially in small towns or in the country, a person could get items on credit but the deal was that the credit had to be paid off once a person got paid again. There wasn’t any formal credit agreement per se. Rather, there was a modicum of trust that existed between the store owner and the customer. If the person didn’t pay on time, then they would lose their privilege, and maybe even their reputation if word got out they had violated the store owner’s faith.
That was then and today we see a totally different story, right?
Just think about a life without credit or debit cards. That would be a life that would be hard to believe but it did exist, and in my lifetime.
Now, we all have a credit or debit card or both and we use them liberally. In fact, some people have stopped carrying cash with them period.
Purchasing anything has been as easy as a swipe, tap, or chip read. It happens in a matter of seconds and you are either carrying out or loading up whatever you want. Payment is worked out later between you and your credit provider.
When we buy, we are hoping to get the best items possible. We read reviews to help us make good informed decisions because money is too valuable to waste. Sometimes, we are even willing to pay more for quality.
Yes, we are a society of consumers who have purchasing power and know how to use it to get the most worth and benefit from what we acquire. But what if we could get the greatest, most priceless thing ever and get it at no cost. Would that be something you would be interested in?
As we continue to look at 1 Corinthians, chapter 9, we learn that the greatest, most priceless offering ever is available free. It’s called the Gospel, the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, and all you need to do is simply believe in Him as Savior. That’s it.
You don’t need to take out a loan or use a plastic card or get out your wallet to dispense money. All you need to do is simply believe.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
This is God’s promise to all people guaranteed through the atoning sacrifice and subsequent resurrection of His Son Jesus. It’s free to anyone who simply believes.
This was the Gospel that Paul felt so impelled to preach and he offered it at no cost to those who heard him and willingly received God’s offer of salvation. Paul was only doing what God dispatched him to do in trust and today, people like me carry on Paul’s legacy. You didn’t pay to read this message and I would never charge for it but if you receive Jesus today as your personal Savior, you will have experienced your greatest acquisition ever, free of charge.
My prayer is that you will receive it with gladness and rejoicing, knowing your eternal future is secure in Jesus, and then allow God to use you to extend His offer to others, helping them come to find their salvation through Christ.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a
comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com
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