Free or Costly?

Do we really appreciate things that are free? This has been the subject of debate for a while in my family. You see, I have both friends and family who regularly use EBay to pass on unwanted goods or buy presents and who sometimes find out to their cost that things aren't always what they appear to be (caveat emptor). As for me, I much prefer to donate things to charities or to use facilities like Freecycle and Freegle, local web-based groups designed to keep useful items out of landfill, making these available to people if they are still useful. But does the value on the price tag make all the difference? 

On a similar tack, a recent chat with someone about voluntary work gave me pause for thought. 'You mean to say - you actually do this for nothing?' He could not understand why I could possibly give up my time for no financial reward... 

I think people get suspicious of our motives. The concept of 'free' in the 21st Century is often nothing more than a marketing tool, with a hidden agenda just around the corner... are we going to set signed up for something expensive on the back of the 'freebie'? A sprat to catch a mackerel', as they used to say...  is it going to turn into a costly venture, with a hard-sell pitch soon to follow...

Or perhaps there's those who don't see the freebie as being worth anything. A poor copy of the 'real thing'. One example could be the free newspaper that spills through our letterbox. Filled with ads that pay for the paper, some actually have very little actual news contained in its pages! My son and I have been looking at free apps for his iPod.  Most of the apps on offer are samples or cut-down trial versions. They aren't the real deal. 

Why is it surprising then that the free gift of God's love is often dismissed or rejected? Are folk wary of a forthcoming hard-sell sales pitch? Is the offer a poor substitute for what they perceive as 'real life'? Is it the real deal?

I think we need to start emphasising the costly things we do for Him. It is worthwhile, but it is costly ...

‘Doth that man love his Lord who would be willing to see Jesus wearing a crown of thorns, while for himself he craves a chaplet of laurel? Shall Jesus ascend to his throne by the cross, and do we expect to be carried there on the shoulders of applauding crowds? Be not so vain in your imagination. Count you the cost, and if you’re not willing to bear Christ’s cross, go away to your farm and to your merchandise, and make the most of them. Only let me whisper this in your ear, “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” '  - Charles Spurgeon