the bigger picture: footing the bill

"Call me on our new cellphone, ok? My aunt says that if we receive calls it doesn't cost anything," my best friend said. (This was around 17 years ago, during elementary when cellphones were still only for the moderately rich...)

"Sure," i said, if she's sure it's free right...

When we got our local phone bill at the end of the month, i immediately realized a very important life lesson: something is "free" for someone because someone else is footing the bill. :p

It was an unfortunate misunderstanding. My best friend and her aunt were correct in saying that receiving phone calls does not cost anything...for them, that is! It's just that what i heard wasn't the complete truth.


i love hanging out with my friends, but there's One who we literally cannot live without:

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35)

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:17)

When it comes to bills, am i glad i don't have to pay to spend eternal life with the Source of all life...

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. (John 3:16-17)

Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:28-29)

...especially when i can't afford it anyway.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

Salvation is free...

"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." (Acts 16:30-31)

For everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved. (Romans 10:13; Acts 2:21; Joel 2:32)

...But to view the bigger picture: salvation is free because somebody came along and already gave His life to save ours...

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. (Luke 19:10)

God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished. (Romans 3:25)

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation --- if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. (Colossians 1:21-23)

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)

...and to make the picture complete (a big thanks to REB who posted some comments here):

Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. (John 3:18)

Let's make sure we have the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth...lest we be asked to pay the highest price at the end of our lives.