Bargaining

 

The summer of 1961 I went to the Bill Rice Ranch in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  And of course, I had to buy cowboy boots to go to a ranch.  So my mother took me down on Mulberry Street in Baltimore to get my boots, and while we were there, she taught me a lesson about bargaining.  First she negotiated with me.  Cowboy boots were not very practical, so we settled on a pair of Wellington boots that looked like a cross between dress shoes and high-topped boots.  Then she negotiated with the store owner.  The boots were twenty-five dollars, so my mother asked, “Will you take twenty for them?”  The store owner thought a moment and said, “Yes, I will.”  I had my boots, my mother had shoes for me, and the store owner had his sale.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t carry around a key chain with all of those bar-codded grocery store tags on it, but I like bargains.  When I buy wood at Lowe’s, I always get in Miss Lyndia’s checkout line.  I show her the 2 by 4 with the chipped end and she lets me have it for half price.  I tell her, “I’ll take your wood that you can’t sell, cut off the end, and I’ll get it at a bargain price.  Lowe’s gets rid of culls, and I save money.  We’re all happy.”  At least that’s what I tell Miss Lyndia.  Hey, years ago in 1956, I REALLY got a bargain.  On April 17, 1956 I traded my sins for eternal life.  And I have Jesus Christ to thank!  Not only did I roll off my burden of guilt and shame onto His shoulders, but Jesus paid for my sin-debt Himself!  What a bargain!  Hey, have you made a deal with Jesus?  Have you traded your sins for His righteousness?  Do it now.  You’ll be glad that you did.