Free Nourishment

"Come, all you who are thirsty,

come to the waters;

and you who have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without cost.

Why spend money on what is not bread,

and your labor on what does not satisfy?

Listen, listen to me,

and eat what is good,

and you will delight in the richest of fare.

Give ear and come to me;

listen, that you may live.

I will make an everlasting covenant with you,

my faithful love promised to David."

Isaiah 55:1-3

All are in need but not everyone realizes it.  Each has a deficit but numerous think they're fine as is.  Every one is broken but countless believe they're intact (Romans 3:23).

For those who are hungry and thirsty, that know they have need of nourishment, Jesus has what is necessary (John 4:14, 6:35).

Come.  I was there watching, taking it all in but I never went forward to receive what was being offered.  I knew the attributes, had heard it described several times, but didn't take them up on their deal.  It was fun to watch the salesperson cook the food and use the kitchen gadgets but I never did buy their wares.  Therefore, I only had knowledge of the benefits of the tools but never actually experienced them for myself.

It's like this with Jesus.  I can know all of the benefits of following him, having memorized passages of scripture that proclaim of the Good News and the fruit that follows, reading about the experiences of others and understanding the concepts behind salvation.  But in order to taste God's goodness for myself, I must come to Him, turning away from my old way of living and fully embracing His (Psalm 34:8, Mark 1:15).  Mere knowledge does nothing for me and cannot save me.  For that I must come to Jesus (Acts 4:12).

When I see my desperate need for a Savior, I must come to Jesus in order to receive the free nourishment He is offering.

Open-handed.  It's always more difficult to receive than to give.  While it's nice to be given a gift, it always makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.  I feel guilty if I have nothing to give in return and there is always this sense that I owe the giver, that I must reciprocate in some way.  

It's natural to bring this same attitude to Jesus.  He is offering me exoneration from my earned death sentence, eternal life with Him, and peace with God from this day forward (John 3:16, Romans 5:1, 6:23) .  In Him I have the hope of heaven.  But what must I do to earn such riches?  What must I give in return?  There is nothing I can add to what Jesus has already done.  Salvation is a free gift offered to those who know of their need, who realize their inability to save themselves, who see the enormous chasm that exists between God's holiness and man's corruption (Luke 5:32).  I cannot earn such a gift, nor do I deserve it.

When I see my desperate need for a Savior, I must let go of any pretension that I can pay God back for salvation or that such a gift is warranted.

Tune-in.  It is my experience that children often hear what they want to hear.  If I tell them "No candy," they may hear "Maybe you can have some candy later."  If I say, "Clean your room," they think I meant, "If you feel up to it, put a few toys away."  If I proclaim, "We are leaving at 9:00 sharp,"  they interpret that to mean a nine o'clock departure is a goal to shoot for.

If I want my children to understand the true intent of my message, I realized early on I needed to make sure they were paying attention and that they received it in the same way I meant it.  In other words, I had to make sure we were on the same page.  It's human nature to reinterpret meaning to match up to one's own desires and outlook.  This means I must be careful when interpreting the Gospel.  I must receive it in the way it was meant.  It's important that I be willing to hear the truth and not filter it through my own understanding.  For this, I must incline my ear to the Lord and let go of any preconceived notions of what He may mean.  I must hear His true intention.

When I see my desperate need for a Savior, I must tune-in to what He truly meant to say, not in what I want to hear or in misleading tradition.

I've always heard it said that nothing in life is free.  This kind of skepticism may lead me to doubt the free sustenance that can be found through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.  If I want to receive all He has to offer, though, I must come to Him, open-handed and with the humble realization of my great poverty, making sure to tune-in so I clearly hear His intended meaning.  When I do, I will experience the free nourishment that He is so willing to give, and that will change everything.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can see myself as I really am, and fully accept the gift of salvation through Jesus that I so desperately need.

When do I try to earn salvation, or feel it's God's duty to save me?

How do I doubt my worth, feeling uncomfortable with the thought of Jesus giving His life to save mine?