90 Minutes Free

John 3:16 – For God loved the world so much that he gave his only son so that every one who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. (GNB)

A few weeks ago I received a "free gift" in the mail. I must admit that I felt very sceptical about the gift, and, in my usual fashion, I wondered what would be expected of me in return for accepting and using the gift. What kind of gift would make me reluctant to accept it, and who would send such a gift? My initial response was, "They want something from me in return."

However, we were planning a family vacation trip, and I was prompted to change my mind about the gift. I decided that free long-distance calling might come in handy when using the telephone to connect to the Internet and to contact family and friends during our travels. It would mean saving money, and that appealed to me. Not only were the calls free, with absolutely no obligation involved, but my experience of using the three 30-minute calling cards was really painless. I was reassured by the automated voice at the end of the line stating, "Thank you for choosing SaskTel. We hope that you enjoy your free calling."

This experience reminded me of God's free gifts to us and of our general reluctance to accept and to make use of them. Salvation and eternal life are ours because God has offered these gifts to us and we have accepted them. Yes, just like SaskTel's generous gifts of "90 Minutes Free" calling cards, there are no catches with God's generous gifts of salvation and eternal life either. Anyone who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour may receive these gifts. This certainly gives us good reason to praise God.

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for all the good gifts that you give us. We are particularly grateful for the gifts of salvation and eternal life, and we declare today that Jesus Christ is Lord and Saviour. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.