Me on Your Mind - a Five-Day Reading Plan by Matthew WestSample

A Gift for You on His Mind

Growing up, we never had a lot of money. So, we had to get creative on family vacations. For example, my dad created something called the “drive through game.” He convinced us to try as a family to keep our order at McDonald’s to under ten dollars! Somehow, he made saving money a fun activity. Family vacations were on a budget, but we always had the time of our lives.

Once, my parents responded to an advertisement offering free tickets to Disney World. All we had to do was show up at the offices of something called a “timeshare,” and listen to a short speech about the benefits of owning a little slice of paradise in Orlando. The “free gift” of Disney tickets sounded too good to be true. And it was. My parents had to endure a lengthy speech riddled with every pressure tactic known to man by these salesmen who were determined to convince my dad he needed to spend money they didn’t have on a timeshare.

Mom and dad finally emerged from that seemingly endless sales pitch, and they looked like they had gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson. They didn’t buy a timeshare, but the gift of “free” tickets still came at a price. It makes me smile to think that they went through all of that just so that I could have a fun vacation. I didn’t have to pay the price for those tickets. I didn’t have to endure that sales pitch. I just got to enjoy a fun filled day at Disney!

Romans 6:23 tells of the only gift that comes without strings attached, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life.” There is no secret angle, no “catch,” no sales pitch, no “bait and switch.” The enemy wants you to think the gift of grace is too good to be true, or that somewhere there is fine print disqualifying you from receiving it. But God had a free gift for you on His mind when he sacrificed His son to pay the price for you. And the only response to being offered a gift is to simply receive it.

DO SOMETHING:

1. Read Romans chapter 6. Can you think of a time when you were offered a free gift and it came with a catch? How did that make you feel?
2. How do you view God’s free gift of grace? Have you ever felt like it’s too good to be true? Why?
3. Chapter 6 talks a lot about freedom and slavery. How might embracing the truth that God’s grace really is a free gift with no strings attached change the way you live your life?
4. Ask God to help you simply receive the free gift of His grace and discover the freedom of a free gift you don’t have to earn.