It’s Free!

Bible Reading: Ephesians 2:4-9

“You’re late. The game is over,” said Parker’s brother Hunter as he put his glove and baseball cleats into a duffel bag. “Hey! Where’d you get that drink?”

Parker held up his slushy and shook it with a grin. “I got it at that new ice cream place on my way over here. It was free!”

Immediately, Parker was surrounded by hot and thirsty baseball players asking questions. “Where did you get it?” “You had to pay something for it, didn’t you?” “Did they tell you to come here and advertise?” “What’s the catch?”

Parker laughed. “There’s no catch. The ice cream place is giving away free samples today. They said they hoped I’d come again whenever I want a slushy or ice cream.”

“Free slushies? Yeah, right,” one of the players said sarcastically.

“You expect us to believe that?” said another. “There’s a catch somewhere.”

Some of the boys walked over to the water fountain for a drink. Others just went home. But some, including Hunter, took off running toward the ice cream shop.

Back home, the boys talked about what had happened. “Some of the kids drank warm water instead of cold slushies,” said Hunter. “They were so sure the slushies had to cost something.”

“Yeah,” said Parker. “Why didn’t they believe me when I said they could get them for free, Dad?”

Dad shrugged. “I don’t know, Parker.”

“Maybe they hear so much bad news, they just don’t believe it when the news is good,” Hunter suggested. “They can’t believe someone would actually give something away.”

Dad nodded thoughtfully. “That sometimes happens when people hear the good news of Jesus,” he said. “Some just can’t believe He’d give us eternal life as a free gift. They think there’s a trick to it and they have to earn their way to heaven.”

“But the Bible says eternal life a gift,” said Parker. “When you’re offered a gift, you can’t pay for it. A gift is always free.”

Dad nodded. “That’s right! All we have to do is believe and accept God’s gift.”

“Just like those slushies,” said Hunter. “We couldn’t pay for them.” He grinned. “Maybe they’ll give free samples of something else tomorrow! I’ll accept those too.”

-H. Lee Mack

How About You?

Have you heard the saying that the best things in life are free? In fact, the very best thing you could ever receive truly is free—it’s God’s gift of eternal life. There’s nothing you can do to earn it. God offers it to us as a gift, which means it’s free! It’s free because Jesus has already paid the price for it. You simply receive it when you trust in Him. (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.)

Today’s Key Verse: Romans 6:23 (ERV) When people sin, they earn what sin pays—death. But God gives his people a free gift—eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Today’s Key Thought:

Eternal life is free