Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. Romans 5:18
When my brothers and I were young, our family camped out in the Smokies near Gatlinburg. Many happy memories were forged there among the misty peaks and in the little tourist shops catering to kids.
One store handed out pieces of taffy to children, counting on parents to follow inside for a larger purchase (which they invariably did). It was a win-yum-win for kids and the candymakers.
Giving out free gifts is a centuries-old marketing ploy, still effective today. Drop into a big-box grocery, and you’ll find a grazing trail of booths offering samples of pizza, hors-d’oeuvres, cheese, chicken nuggets, and more tempting morsels. Dinner before dinner. And more times than you expect, you wind up carrying home a full box of whatever goodies you enjoyed.
In America, a free dinner at a local restaurant is accompanied by a lecture on retirement management. A free set of headphones follows a sales pitch at a car dealership. A free night in a hotel means buying three more nights to round out your vacation stay. And if you buy enough stuff at a store chain, you can redeem points later for more stuff. It never ends.
The skeptical American mindset is that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Everything costs something to us.
Except…when Jesus offers us His gift of eternal life. It’s completely free. We can’t pay for it with our money, sacrifices, or deeds. Nothing or no one else can redeem us.
But isn’t there a catch somewhere? Don’t we have to make sure our ticket to paradise is validated by a bunch of good deeds, enough to balance out the bad things we’ve done?
The answer is no, there’s nothing we can do to pay the entrance fee to heaven. Our sinful nature makes us impure, unable to enter the presence of our Holy God. We’re far too ruined to earn that privilege.
Yet Jesus still loves us, enough to give up everything through His death on the cross. He sealed the transaction with his dying declaration, “It is finished (tetelestai),” a Greek business term that means, “paid in full.” He canceled our debt and redeemed us with His resurrection.
Salvation is truly the only free gift in life. His grace and riches at His expense…for our faith and lifelong devotion. We simply place our trust solely in Him. And everything we do afterward is a thank-you to our wondrous Lord.
As we approach the Thanksgiving season this year, let’s lift up our gratitude to God for His immense gift of love. Let’s fall on our knees in awe that the Creator of the universe would give up His Son so we sinful children might partake of His free banquet at the heavenly feast. Let’s give our hearts completely to Him, surrendering to Him in obedience and service. Let’s enjoy the blessings of His presence and His Holy Spirit gifts, too.
Free candy? Yes, thank you. Free gift of heaven? Yes, Lord—thank You, with all my soul.
Lord Jesus, I am so grateful that Your gift of eternal life comes with no price tag—it is completely free, and I am unable to do anything to earn or deserve it. You alone have bought for me the privilege of joining you in heaven, an unimaginable blessing. I offer You my praise, thanksgiving, and joy in return. Fill me up with the energy and joy I need to serve You. Give me Your ongoing forgiveness and the chance to share Your faithful love with others who need Your grace. In Your generous name, Amen.
Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her blogs are featured on Crossmap.com and AriseDaily. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at NancyCWilliams.com and subscribe at the bottom.
© Copyright 2026 Nancy C. Williams (text and photography). Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. #JesusChrist #faithjourney #Christianliving #faithoverfear #walkwithGod #faith #kingdomlife #Christianencouragement #Biblestudy #dailydevotional #Godisgood #Redeemer #Savior #prayerwarrior #Christianity #Jesus #God #Christian #Bible #trust #love #church #Christ #prayer #Bibleverse #presenceofGod #HolySpirit #freecandy #freegift #heaven #forgiveness #tetelestai #smokies
