DOORBUSTERS, 75% for the next 4 hours, FREE SHIPPING AND Grace

Ahhh Black Friday....Small Business Saturday...Cyber Monday. Tis the season for SHOPPING! And who doesn't love a great deal?!? To see a price slashed in half makes me feel as the consumer that I AM WINNING! That's right, me, Josh Hoffman- I'm defeating the giant corporations of Target, Kohl's, and Best Buy when I shop only when everything is on SALE!

Well let's be real....all these stores are still open (even Best Buy), so they obviously aren't doing TOO bad! Just b/c I buy a Black Friday DVD door buster for $4 isn't going to put them out of business. In fact, during these sale days- it's pretty clear the only group adding to their debt in our country is US...not the STORES!

But yet every year it's the same...DEALS- SALES- 50% off. Why doesn't it change? Because it MUST still work. Sure, more things than ever are purchased online, but all these companies keep turning profits by getting me out of my turkey coma to go buy toys for my boys.

The other thing about these sales is that it makes SENSE to us. Let me explain! To buy anything, we need money. We know that when stuff is discounted or on sale, we can buy more of it. It's a simple formula but it works for us and the stores. Everyone wins right?

NOT EXACTLY! Here's the problem, in my opinion, whether we like it or not, BLACK FRIDAY, CYBER MONDAY, and whatever other "deal day" they want to come up with can negatively impact our relationship with God.

WHY?

Here's the REAL STORY. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. That forgives us of everything wrong we have done or will do. To receive this amazing gift or grace- we do NOTHING. That's right. Jesus death was the sole cost. We can't save ourselves.

This causes a problem b/c it doesn't agree with our culture. We are a consumer driven culture. To receive something, even the BEST Black Friday deal- we need to go into a store or shop online- AND pay for it. No matter how deep the discount, their still is a cost.

But the cost of God's grace for US? It's nothing. It's a bill that Jesus has completely paid in full. My favorite verse in the Bible from Ephesians 2 states EXACTLY this: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. 

The problem this causes though is we have a hard time comprehending grace. How can we receive the greatest gift ever by doing NOTHING ourselves? By simply having faith. The basic answer is that God loves us THAT much. Romans 5:8- ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The deals we get on Black Friday or Cyber Monday WILL probably give us a great temporary feeling of achievement or accomplishment. But all those deals will only BE temporary. The gift God gives us is eternal! We have a God that loves us NO matter what and died on the cross for us.There is NO cost to us. Please spend some time this week reflecting on God's grace! It's free for you and for me and it's forever.