Home | Archive of Previous Devotions | Guest Book | Contact Us | Links
The Price of Freedom
My father used to always tell me, “Son, nothing in life is free.” He usually said that after I had explained a newly thought of “get rich quick” scheme or in response to some free merchandise I had been given to entice me into a financial spider web.
I
think he was right. Nothing in life
is truly free. Everything has its
price. The trouble is that many
times it is others who have made the sacrifices or paid the prices for the
wonderful things in my life. As I
write this devotional, I am preparing to go speak at a revival service about
forty-five minutes from my house. I
will have the privilege to share my thoughts about Christ with a group of people
I have probably never met. I will
drive my relatively nice truck, though dirty, from my comfortable house.
I will arrive one hour early to help eat wonderful food prepared by some
great cooks in that community. I
will drink clean water in an air-conditioned fellowship hall, then go to a
beautiful sanctuary where I will worship the God I serve.
I will return home to a supporting wife, sleep in a comfortable
bed, and awaken the next morning and watch TV with a bowl of cereal in my
hand. I will watch TV to see what
has happened to a group of young people who are putting their lives on the line
so I can live the above lifestyle. They
are paying the price for the joys and freedoms I have each day.
They are dedicated to bringing these freedoms to a group of people that
have never had one day like any of mine.
Others have paid the price through the years with their lives so I enjoy the
freedoms of this life. These
freedoms…they have been paid for…nothing in life is free.
Men and women I never knew have given their lives for my freedom and for
the freedom of others. A price had
to be paid.
And my spiritual life? Grace is not
free…it too has been paid for. Jesus
Christ bought my freedom on the cross. He
paid the price for a debt I could not pay. He
died for me…to set me free. God
forgive me for taking His sacrifice for granted.
God forgive me for not fully appreciating what others have done for me.
My mom and dad worked their whole lives for me.
My friends make untold sacrifices for me.
Strangers have made the ultimate sacrifice…most of all, Christ, my
savior, died for me. My life…my
freedoms have a price…they are paid for in full.
Let me share something I recently heard that I think I am going to share
tonight. It is not meant to demean
another religion. It is simply the
truth.