{"id":6261,"date":"2020-11-24T06:59:21","date_gmt":"2020-11-24T12:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abidingfathers.org\/?p=6261"},"modified":"2020-11-24T06:59:21","modified_gmt":"2020-11-24T12:59:21","slug":"bargain-hunting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/af2.musiimes.space\/index.php\/2020\/11\/24\/bargain-hunting\/","title":{"rendered":"Bargain hunting!"},"content":{"rendered":"

50% Off<\/h3>\n

Bargaining hunting\u2026<\/em><\/strong>is a pastime for some, even an addiction or religion of sorts for others. Nothing wrong with wanting a \u2018good deal\u2019 when you need something. There are those who move from one estate sale to the next. The \u2018pro\u2019 finds bargains and then resells for a profit. And then there are people that just can\u2019t resist buying something because of the price, whether they need it or not.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

As I was on my morning walk last Friday, I noticed an incredible number of cars in our immediate neighborhood and as I turned the corner one block over from my house, there were lines of people in both directions leading up to this home where an estate sale was taking place. Only four people could go in at a time and there was a policeman guarding the door. Everyone was wearing a mask, but I can assure you social distancing was not being practiced. People of every color and age were standing, waiting for that unique opportunity, hoping to find just what they\u2019ve been looking for. The second day\u2019s sign read\u2014’50% off on all items\u2019. Wow, what a deal!<\/p>\n

A free gift<\/h3>\n

That day, I reflected on the numbers lined up for hours waiting for a special item. My mind turned to Christ and his offer of salvation.\u00a0\u201cFor the wages of sin is death, but the\u00a0gift<\/u>\u00a0of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(Rom. 6.23). Do you see this\u2014gift<\/u>! Gifts are usually free, not 50% off. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever received a gift of any nature where the giver said, \u2018Bill, I\u2019ve paid half of this, you owe the remaining half\u2019. And neither did Jesus. The gospel does not say\u2014Jesus paid for half on the cross, but you have to do your part to earn the other half. That\u2019s not a gift.<\/p>\n

But too many in this world believe that the cross was not sufficient and that the gift was really not free. They have to still earn the right to be saved through their good works. It\u2019s\u00a0Christ, plus works!<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0Jesus paid it all. He said,\u00a0\u201cIt is finished\u201d<\/em><\/strong>. That means\u2014\u2018paid in full\u2019! The Spirit, through Paul, clarifies it.\u00a0\u201cFor by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the\u00a0gift of God<\/u>, not of works, lest anyone should boast\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(Eph. 2.8,9).<\/p>\n

Jesus paid the price<\/h3>\n

There is an expression; \u2018there\u2019s no such thing as a free lunch\u2019. Right, someone paid for it, or produced and gave it to someone. Same with the gift of salvation. The crucifixion of Jesus was the greatest price ever paid\u2014for \u2018the world\u2019.\u00a0\u201cFor God so\u00a0loved<\/u>\u00a0the world that He\u00a0gave<\/u>\u00a0His only begotten Son, that\u00a0whosoever<\/u>\u00a0believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(Jn. 3.16).<\/p>\n

This is not a half-price sale; it is a loving gift to anyone who believes and receives. Have you, has your family? The estate sale crowds were lined up, excited about the possibilities. Men, women, and children should be lined up for miles to get God\u2019s free gift and not just for possibilities, but for eternal assurance. What a bargain!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

50% Off Bargaining hunting\u2026is a pastime for some, even an addiction or religion of sorts for others. Nothing wrong with wanting a \u2018good deal\u2019 when you need something. There are those who move from one estate sale to the next. The \u2018pro\u2019 finds bargains and then resells for a profit. And then there are people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,77],"tags":[156,161],"class_list":["post-6261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abiding","category-blessing","tag-jesus","tag-the-gospel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/af2.musiimes.space\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/af2.musiimes.space\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/af2.musiimes.space\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/af2.musiimes.space\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/af2.musiimes.space\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/af2.musiimes.space\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/af2.musiimes.space\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/af2.musiimes.space\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/af2.musiimes.space\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/af2.musiimes.space\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}