Free as the Air

Bible Reading: Romans 4:5-8

“I don’t understand Heidi,” Alma said as she looked down at a piece of candy she was holding. “A couple of days ago she gave me a bracelet to pay me back for helping her with math. Now she gave me this caramel roll to pay me back for a cookie I gave her yesterday. It’s not that I don’t want the candy, but it’s getting so I’m not sure I should ever do anything for her because she always thinks she has to give me something back.”

“Some people are like that,” Mom said, “but I don’t think you should stop helping her. I think you should just graciously accept whatever she does in return.”

“I guess so,” said Alma, “but you know, Mom, she even thinks she has to pay God back for everything He gives. When we were talking after Bible club the other day, she told me she didn’t see how anyone could accept the idea that they could go to heaven just by believing. She says she intends to earn her way by going to church and living a good, honest life. She doesn’t think God would want her to take something for nothing.”

“Oh, that is serious!” said Mom. “Let’s pray that she’ll see how unwise that is.”

A couple days later, Alma and Heidi conducted an experiment in their science class. By combining several chemicals, they made a gas that smelled just like rotten eggs.

“Oh, gross! Air! I need air!” Heidi gasped dramatically as she rushed to open a window. Alma laughed as she too eagerly gulped the fresh, cold air.

Alma suddenly got an idea. “Hold your breath,” she told Heidi, “until you pay for the air!”

“What? Are you crazy?” asked Heidi.

“You said you wouldn’t take anything for nothing, remember?” Alma reminded her. “Yet every day—all day—you breathe air and don’t pay for it. If you can accept God’s gift of air, why is it so hard to accept His gift of salvation? It’s as free as the air you breathe.”

Heidi gave Alma a strange look. “I never thought of it that way before,” she said. “I’ll have to think about that.” – Hazel Marett

How About You?

Do you realize that the air you breathe is a wonderful gift from God? It would be foolish to think you could ever pay for it. You can’t put a price tag on something like air. Eternal life is an even more wonderful gift, and you can’t pay for that either. Will you trust in Jesus and accept His gift of eternal life?

Today’s Key Verse: Romans 6:23 The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Salvation is free