Not for Sale

With the holiday season coming, I think about gifts. I’m very much a giver and love to find unique gifts for my family and friends. But what if, no matter how great and wonderful the trinket I managed to find, my loved ones refused all my gifts? How do you think that would make me feel? I doubt I would feel appreciated. After all, I worked to earn money, then used that money to buy something I thought would make them happy, but they say “no thank you”?

I imagine that’s how God feels. His one and only begotten son paid the price to give us salvation, yet so many people daily reject this free gift. Of course there are people who will never ultimately accept Christ’s gift of salvation, but even people who have already accepted it tend to forget how truly free this gift is.

If we go to Romans 6:23, we can read these words: “For the wages of sin is death. . .” If you’ve ever worked for anyone, you know that wages are what you earn. So, as sinful beings, we’ve all earned death. It’s rightfully ours. Yet if we continue reading, the verse also says: “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It’s a gift. It’s not for sale—it’s free and always available. You can’t earn it. But sadly a lot of people think that’s the only way they’ll receive salvation.

Imagine a doctor. This doctor has a huge practice and promotes curative care, but he tells all his patients to be completely healthy before they enter his clinic. 

Unfortunately, this is how many people see God.

“I keep failing.”

“Surely I’m too dirty.”

“Why would God love me?”

“Who am I to ask God for help?”

These are the thoughts that come into our minds. Essentially, we’re telling ourselves we have to be saved before running to the Savior.

Ephesians 2:8–9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” No matter the works we do, we are not good enough to die for, but Jesus? Jesus was good enough to die for us.

So take heart—you can’t earn salvation! God wants to GIVE it to you! He loves you. So very much, Jesus loves you. He paid the price—now will you accept the gift?