*Free Gift With Purchase

Some time ago I impulsively decided to buy a CD.  Now, usually I don’t spend money impulsively; I generally invest a lot of time into research and making sure that I’m getting a good chunk of value for what I’m spending.  And let’s face it, it’s always a gamble with CD’s, right?  You inevitably only like about 3 songs on there and the rest of it is rubbish or boring.  But I just closed my eyes and bought it, because I really liked that one song.

To be honest, I didn’t even know the band existed until a few months ago; I didn’t know if they had any other albums; and I certainly had no idea whether any of the songs on that CD would even be something I would like.

Boy, was I surprised!  Pleasantly surprised!  I popped it into the CD player of my car on my way home and by the time song number 5 came around, I was air-punching with pure ecstasy.  There was no doubt in my mind, I got value for my money.

We all know that it doesn’t always work like that, right?  I’ve had my fair share of disappointments over the years because the thing I bought just didn’t do what it said on the tin.  Or maybe I just expected more than was ever intended, I don’t know.  The fact remains, more often than not we expect something and then it’s not what we had hoped for.

An experience like that has the potential to dull our spirits and turn us sour.  Inevitably we approach the world with a cynicism that poisons us from the inside, influencing our behaviour in a negative way.

There is one thing though; one glorious and amazing thing that turns out to be exactly what it says on the tin.  No, wait, it’s actually more.  It is so much more.

Salvation…

…the saving of the soul from sin and its consequences.

This is something big and to delve into the absolute meaning of salvation is going to make my head spin, in all honesty.  But what I do know is that my salvation through Jesus Christ is abundantly more than I could ever imagine or think.  I “purchased” the decision to give everything I am, everything I worry about and everything I dream about over to the One and Only God.  And in return I received the “free gift” of eternal life, freedom from sin and the love of God; the One who has my best interest at heart.  The One who won’t let any harm come to me.

Forget about that free bag you get when you buy a specified quantity of cosmetic products.  Forget about the free hands-free set you get when you purchase a new phone.  Forget about the 11 other songs on that CD that turned out to be just as good as the one I liked in the beginning.

The most important *Free Gift With Purchase you will ever receive is the gift of eternal life from a God that loves you unreservedly and unconditionally.