The Price Has Been Paid For You

The story is told of a young man who left the old country and sailed to America to make a new life in the new world. Before he left, his father pressed some money in his hand. It wasn't much, but it was all he had. He hoped it would tide the boy over until he found a job. His mother handed him a box of food for the journey, then kissed and hugged and tearfully said goodbye.

On the boat, the young man gave his ticket to the porter and found his way to the tiny cabin he shared with several others during the month-long voyage to New York. That evening at mealtime, the young man went topside and unwrapped a sandwich his mother had made. He ate silently as he watched the other passengers file into a large room crowded with tables. He listened to their chatty laughter and watched as waiters brought plates filled with hot steaming food. But he just smiled, enjoying his mother's fresh homemade bread and the crisp apple his brother had picked that morning. Bless my family, he prayed.

The days went by slowly, and the young man's box of food quickly dwindled but meals such as they offered in the dining room were certain to cost a lot. He'd need that money later.

He ate alone in his cabin now. The smell from the dining hall made his stomach wrench with hunger. He allowed himself a few crackers and some cheese each day, whispering a prayer of thanks before scraping the mould off his hard lump. A Shrivelled Apple and the tepid rainwater he collected in a can, completed his meagre meal.

Three days out of New York, the last of the food was gone except for a wormy Apple. The young man could take no more. Pale and weak, he asked the porter in broken English, "How much?" The porter looked confused. "Food," the young man said as he held out some coins and pointed to the dining room. "How much?"

Finally, the ship Stuart understood. He smiled and shook his head. "It costs nothing," he said, closing the immigrant's hand back around his money. "You are free to eat! The cost of food was included in the price of passage."

The price has been paid. Hear this simple truth. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your saviour, the price has been paid for you. There is nothing keeping you away from the intimacy and fellowship between you and God. But there may need to be a bit of demolition work on your end because the enemy of our souls keeps quite busy building barriers to block spiritual intimacy.