Even Free can be Expensive!

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23.

What is it about "Free" that makes a gift so hard to accept. In this internet age, we are bombarded with "Free" offers and gimmicks to get our attention and our business. Sometimes to the point that we miss something that is really valuable. We even go out of our way to protect ourselves from "Free" offers. I imagine that some people might not even receive this email because security software will see the word "Free" and block it from your in-box. When something is free, we are programmed to think that it might be inferior, a trick, a hook to bait us into something we really don't want or need to do.

But the free Gift we are referring to is no salesman's gimmick. Rather it is the answer to life's most fundamental question. By nature we are sinners condemned to eternal death and punishment. But GOD, the creator of the universe wants to be united with you in a relationship that will last forever. "Free" to God, cost Him everything! It was not free after all. It was paid for with the life of His son Jesus Christ, and He wants to give that to you, to me, and to the lost people of North Thailand where we live and work at Narrow Gate Asia.


At our farm in North Thailand last week, we were blessed with the first cutting of forage grasses for this rainy season. The lush, green pasture was just beautiful. At 1 meter in height, it was at its optimum nutritional value. We cut, harvested, and delivered 3 to 7 loads of grass each day for a week to both beef and dairy farms in the area. Because we are not in a position to provide a regular hay service, we decided that we would simply give the grasses away; you guessed it, "FOR FREE"! We do not yet have cows on our farm and wanted to share with others the blessing that we have.

Everyone we met was excited about the delivery to their farm. Some people were old friends, and others we met for the first time. Some said yes, and some said no. Some were very gracious, others were hesitant, but they all had lots of questions. When the questions began, it was an open door to share with these local farmers about how God has blessed our farm abundantly, and that we have a responsibility to be a blessing to those around us. We shared about the "Free" gift that God has to share and about how knowing Jesus Christ has made a difference in our lives.

This experience has made me think about the high cost of "Free". Our grass was a gift from our farm, but we paid the cost in time, labor, seeds, and the list goes on. The gift was free, but someone had to pay. The Bible says that the gift of eternal life is "Free". But, through Jesus Christ, the ultimate price has been paid on our behalf.

We all have to count the cost to the calling that God has put on our lives. And our family here at Narrow Gate Asia wants to thank you for your your gifts of prayers and support that God has provided through you for the work here in Mae Sai. We recognize that these come at a great cost to you, and your family and it is our privilege to be called co-workers along with you to see "God's Kingdom come and Will be done" here in our small corner of the world.

PRAYER REQUESTS -

• Pray for our Sunday Worship time this week.
• Pray for financial resources to begin construction of Farm facilities and Utilities.
• Pray for the registration process of Narrow Gate in Thailand.
  
• Pray for our English teaching projects in Mae Sai this summer.

Mae Sai Elementary School - 120 Students

Phaa Mii - Hill Tribe School - 74 Students

English Conversation - HS Girls Group - 10 Students

• Pray for God's provision and decisions related to children's education in Thailand.
  
• Pray for Thai Partners to join the Narrow Gate Asia team as we serve among the Northern Thai and Hill-Tribe Peoples.
• Pray the God's Kingdom will come and His Will be done at Narrow Gate Asia.

To Become a Narrow Gate Asia Partner
Send Letters and Tax Deductible Contributions to:

Narrow Gate Asia
P.O. Box 260275
Plano, TX 75075 USA

Contact us on Facebook, or at info@narrowgateasia.org

Thank you for your prayers and support,
In His Grip
Harry and Pattie