We constantly hear about it in demonstrations against society, in government budgeting and even in political campaigns. Too many people want too many things; they want them now and they want them free. It should never escape our attention that free doesn’t really mean free. A good example is the idea of compulsory education for children. Obviously education is a good thing and many public schools do a lot of good, but is mandatory education free? I think not. The latest figures I could find for California reflected 2014 costs and it was $9,600 per student, NOT including any capital costs for new buildings, AND California is behind 35 other states in per-student spending. Please note this is not a complaint but is intended only to reveal that free education is not free. Every tax payer pays for it. Should college now be free?
Many of our freedoms have been purchased by the blood of generations before us. In our Revolutionary War over 25,000 were killed fighting for independence from England. During the Civil War nearly 75,000 lost their lives. In World War I over 116,000 Americans died and another 405,000 in World War II. These are not all the wars and not all the tragedies, but enough is said here to say freedom is not free.
Is our salvation free? Like many freedoms we enjoy, it is free to us, but not to Christ. Imagine with me that the sins of every individual who have ever lived was placed on Him as He was placed on that cross and yet when we read of the moral decline of man we see something very interesting.
Rom 1:20-21 “…For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Herein lays the downfall of mankind. God is honored and man is not thankful to Him. Friends, We all have equal opportunity to change that this Thanksgiving. Won’t you join me by recognizing who God is and what God has done, and then by being thankful for it?
I invite you to come join us on Sunday in the fellowship of loving and caring people! God bless. I am thankful for being the pastor of the Journey church!