In the loft of my house I have several black bin bags filled with soft toys and plastic dinosaurs. For some of these at least I hold London’s famous Natural History Museum responsible. The thing is you see that entry to the museum is free, so it’s a perfect family day out. The kids are entertained for hours exploring the vast halls and fascinating exhibits. The problem comes when it’s time to leave. There is only one way out – an exit through the gift shop. This is when I realised that while entry might have been free, our exit was going to cost me. It’s a hard-hearted parent indeed who can run the gauntlet of cute stuffed animals, toys and games without succumbing to the pleading of their children and parting with large sums of money.
In some respects, the Kingdom of God has something in common with the Natural History Museum. Entry is absolutely free – Jesus Himself paid the entry fee and lets in all who will come. But once inside you begin to realise that staying there will cost everything you have and everything you are. The difference is that unlike the museum, in God’s Kingdom all the gifts have also been paid for and He distributes them to his children for free.
