Free but not Cheap

     "We'll never know how much it cost, to see our sin upon that cross." The words to that song kept going through my mind as Pastor Greg Ralston preached this sermon.

     Does it seem to you that when something is free it doesn't have the same value to you as when you had to pay for it? This is how Greg approached the subject. By accepting what Christ has done for us we need be aware of what it cost Jesus to give it.

     That week my Bible study had the same theme. It urged us to consider the cost for Jesus. For Him to be bound by time, in a human body, for holiness to take on the burden of all sin. His death, though cruel and violent, held only a fraction of the sacrifice paid.

     In my sketch Jesus is giving the gift of salvation to a young girl. She sees the gift and reaches for Christ's hand to receive it. But does she see the cost, though it's right in front of her? If we saw the blood, endured the pain ourselves, the loss of heaven, the burden of sin would we want to do more, be more for Christ? Maybe if we truly recognized His sacrifice we'd love God with a greater strength and strive harder to become like Him. Not out of guilt or payment, but out of an understanding of the price paid.

     Like most of us if we received a free ticket to a football game we would appreciate the gesture. But would we go directly to the benches, or get right in the game?

     Let's get out of the stands and on to the field. Who's in?