I’m not much of a shopper. I like shopping almost as much as I like going to the dentist. But one thing I do appreciate is how comfortable a good store can make me feel when I do buy something. There is the nice music in the background and the pleasant sales representatives who make your shopping convenient and hassle-free. At the cash register, the sales rep’s smile has a way of taking the edge off as you leave all your money behind.

However, unlike our convenient, comfortable department stores, when God purchased our gift of salvation, there was no comfort or convenience. When God purchased our gift of redemption, He did so at the cost of His Son’s life on the cross and at the expense of His blood. Instead of the smile of a sales rep to collect the price of the purchase, there were the cold, hard walls of a grave to receive His battered body. Yet the Father, driven by His love for the World, willingly paid the extravagant price so we could have the gift of salvation and eternal life!

When Jesus was on the cross, just before He died, He exclaimed, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The word “finished” in the Greek is a commercial term, and it literally means, “The debt is paid.” When He breathed His last and died, He was making the purchase that would guarantee your forgiveness and eternal salvation.

The love of God is staggering in its magnitude. Look at the lengths He went to ensure we could receive the gift of salvation. When God loves, He holds nothing back.

As Easter approaches, we need to remember God’s bountiful gift given through the Son.

“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (2 Cor. 9:15).