Two boys were playing cricket. In their excitement, one hit the ball so hard that it broke someone’s window. They both did what boys normally do, run home! The father of one of the boys saw his son in a hurry. When asked the reason the boy replied that his ball had broken someone’s window. The father told the boy that he must accompany him to apologize for the damage. The boy was hesitant but the father insisted that he must say sorry.

Upon reaching the house, the father knocked at the door and a man opened it. The father said to him, "My son broke your window and wants to know if you will forgive him?". The man replied "I will gladly forgive him but someone has to pay for the window!". That boy learnt the lesson early in life that though forgiveness was free, it was not cheap.

For God to offer forgiveness to us, sin had to be punished. This involved a huge cost to Himself, the death of His Son upon the cross for there was no other good enough to pay the price for sin. Christ paid the awful price when for three hours He endured the wrath of God upon the cross on your behalf. He rose again the third day after finishing the work He came to do. God in love to you offers to pardon all your sin. Forgiveness is free but it cost God everything two thousand years ago. The Bible says "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55v7)