There is only one thing in life that is completely 100 percent free.

There is only one thing in life where the price has been paid in full.

It’s a totally free gift.

You couldn’t even buy it if you wanted to.

And if you could buy it, the price is so astronomically high you could never afford it.

So, what is it?

It is the love of Jesus … and all that comes with it.

Imagine a love so great it can only be given and accepted as a free gift.

And His love is for Jew and Gentile alike.

He is our great covenant.

   “By so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.” (Hebrews 7:22)

His supreme sacrifice on the cross paid the price for mankind’s sins once and for all.

He paid the price. You receive the benefits.

You can’t work for it.

It is freely given, through God’s magnificent love for you.

   “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” (Eph. 2:8)

In return, you receive freedom with a new life unshackled from sin.

You now have a renewed relationship with the Father through the Son, Jesus.

And for those who believe in Jesus and call Him Lord and Savior, you are entitled to eternal life.

   “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

The Road To Salvation Is Littered With ‘Stuff’

Ever go to an Estate Sale?

A person’s entire life is laid out in front of you:

• Dishes
• glassware
• toys
• trinkets
• dusty records
• sofas
• TVs
• paintings
• bedding
• tools
• baubles
• and figurines

All that stuff they collected … now someone is burdened with getting rid of it.

The person has recently died.

It comes as no shock he couldn’t take life’s collectibles with him.

What you CAN take with you when you leave this life on Earth is the precious love of Jesus … and all that comes with it.

That’s why the Bible says in Matthew 6:19-21,

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.” 

You take this love with you in a new body. (Please read the wonderful explanation in 2 Cor. 5).

If you are like me, it ‘s hard to resist collecting stuff, especially free stuff.

I was at a senior citizen’s Expo in Torrance recently.

I wasn’t there to hear the speakers.

I wasn’t there to attend the seminars or get my blood pressure checked.

I was there for the free stuff!

Free shopping bags!

Free pens!

Free books!

If the local tire store were to say, “Ani, you can have this brand new shiny tire if you can roll it home. Just understand, the tire is absolutely worthless and doesn’t fit any car known to man.”

So, what!

I would still roll it home.

I would put that shiny but worthless new tire in my living room and admire it.

I would even call the neighbors and friends over to admire my worthless brand new shiny tire that doesn’t fit any car known to man.

Why? Because it was free.

Free stuff!

We need things.

Some help us with our day-to-day living.

Other things are just extraneous, shiny baubles and gadgets we think we need.

I had to ask myself: Is my life “full of stuff” or full of the love of Jesus?

It’s More Profitable To Accumulate The Love Of God

I think it’s time to think less about accumulating stuff and more about accumulating the love God has for us.

Our God is a loving God.

Romans 5:8 reminds us: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God pronounces His love for those who love Him.

   “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find Me.” (Proverbs 8:17)

This God who loves us, this God who sacrificed His Son on the cross for us.

This God whose mercy is freely offered to all so that “none may perish”  seeks your heart.

Only a God who loves us unconditionally would do this.

It’s been said that I can’t brag about my love for God because I fail him daily.

But I can brag about God’s love for me because it NEVER fails.

God proves His love for us daily through His Son, Jesus.

As John 3:16 so eloquently sums it up:

   “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

This is real love.

This is what love is all about.

This is a love you can keep and take with you … forever.