toddcast

When my daughter and son-in-law traveled abroad recently, they encountered the familiar chorus of street vendors at every tourist destination. Desperate to move their merchandise, these sellers would shout to passersby, "Almost free! Almost free!" The phrase "almost free" is clever marketing, but it reveals an important truth: "almost free” still costs something. Almost free means you'll need to reach for your wallet. Almost free confirms what we've always known—nothing in life comes without a price. My father's wisdom echoes in my mind: "There are no free lunches." From childhood, we learn that everything worthwhile must be earned through effort and payment. This universal understanding makes the Gospel message so revolutionary. When God extends His offer of salvation, He doesn't shout "Almost free!" from the heavens. Instead, He whispers something that defies everything we think we know about how the world works: "Abso...

I don’t like being sick, but it might be even more difficult to see your child sick. You try to comfort them and help them heal, but there’s only so much you can do. There have been times when I would say to my child that if it were possible I would trade places with them. And it’s true. If you’re a parent you’ve probably had the same sentiment. We would gladly bear their pain if we could spare them. But as much as we want to take their pain, we just can’t. One of the prominent pictures of God throughout the Bible is that of a father. God is our father providing for us, guiding us, teaching us to walk, and even disciplining us. And I get this sense that just as I hurt when my children hurt, he hurts when we hurt. And as a compassionate father he nurses us back to health. He helps us heal just like we do for our kids. And I imagine that God has those same feelings I have for my children when they are sick. He too would gladly bear our pain to spare us. Though I can’t do that for my chil...