Why pay more?

The LORD says, ‘Come, everyone who is thirsty – here is water! Come, you that have no money – buy grain and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk – it will cost you nothing! Why spend money on what does not satisfy? Why spend your wages and still be hungry? Listen to me and do what I say, and you will enjoy the best food of all.’ (verses 1,2)

Read Isaiah 55:1-13

‘Why spend money on what does not satisfy?’ Why not? Isn’t shopping therapeutic? Besides, paying bills, getting the car repaired or forking out money to replace the children’s schoolbooks, shoes or clothes isn’t all that satisfying either. So what can I buy that will satisfy me? Snack food, DVDs, videos, CDs, clothes, car, home, holidays? They may satisfy us for a while, but in the long run they come and go so quickly we ask ourselves if they ever really existed at all.

God invites us to find real satisfaction, and the best part is that it will cost us nothing. The water of life that God offers will quench our thirst forever. The food of Scripture will feed our heart and mind till they are satisfied. To respond in obedience to the call of God will bring us to a new fullness of life and a clearer understanding of his will for us and for those around us.

So why waste our money? God offers us everything we need—for free.

Help me, Lord, to know what is truly valuable in life and for life. Amen.

Devotion by Pastor Richard Fox from the LCA devotion book, “Assurance for each day” (LCA Openbook, 2004)

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