Free Chicken

Free food draws crowds. The recent partnership between Oprah Winfrey and KFC is no exception. Download & print a coupon, drive to a KFC restaurant and redeem the coupon for two free pieces of grilled chicken, two free sides and a free biscuit.

Now that is a deal!

Americans know it too. Millions of coupons have been downloaded. Patrons have flocked to KFC restaurants. Free chicken has been flying out of deep fryers like white pigeons released on wedding days. Free fried chicken flew across the nation, until yesterday.

KFC issued this statement: “Following an unprecedented and overwhelming response to a free offer of a Kentucky Grilled Chicken meal, KFC has announced that it can no longer accept the free coupon at this time, but that it will introduce a rain check program to take care of inconvenienced customers.”

A rain check program?

Yes. Take the original free chicken coupon to a participating KFC restaurant, fill out a rain check form, wait to receive the rain check coupon in the mail, and then take the rain check coupon to a participating KFC restaurant to receive a free meal.

How much money, time and resources, is this free chicken really costing America? Whatever the figure, it is not free. I’ll spend at least thirty minutes writing this post when I could have been working out or studying. I even printed the coupon earlier this week, which cost around ten cents. I drove out of the way to redeem the coupon, but turned around because I didn’t want to spend forty minutes waiting for a free meal. If my time alone is worth anything, this free chicken has already cost me at least ten bucks.

It amazes me how millions of people go out of their way and stand in long lines to get free chicken. They blast email to all their contacts hoping everyone takes advantage of the free gift. While coupons roll off printers, ink dries and anticipation builds, people miss the greatest free gift of all time.

God offers his righteousness for free. There is no need to print anything. There is no need to drive anywhere. There are no rain checks. No waiting periods. The only thing you need to do to receive God’s free gift is believe in Jesus Christ. Christ died for you. He paid the penalty of your sin. Now receive the free gift of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

Why don’t people get excited about receiving the free gift of salvation?

Maybe it’s because they haven’t heard the free gift is available.