When my girls visit, I like to take them to the Outlet Mall for clearance rack shopping.  After all those years of hand-me-downs and garage sale clothes, I figure I owe it to them.  Their men love it, because they know their wives will come home with something in their bags and nothing gone out of their pocketbooks.  Buying them a little something is my secret pleasure.

On Saturday, Katie put the boys down for a nap and we bolted out the door.  However, we were unprepared for what awaited us.

Outlet Mall + Labor Day Weekend + Sales = CRAZINESS

We parked at the far end of the parking lot.  We stood in line to get into the changing rooms.  We stood in line to make a purchase.  After going into two stores that had everything marked 50% off, we were ready to call it quits and considered ourselves lucky to make it out alive.

This morning I read about another unbelievable deal.

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”  Isaiah 55:1

People!  This is like the swankiest, most high-end store in the mall offering the absolute top quality merchandise for 100% off.  And the owner is out on the sidewalk begging us to come in and help ourselves.  No money, no cost.  Yet, we hurry by on the way to the Five & Dime for cheap trinkets and watered down Kool-Aid.  Not a deal even at half off.

It’s incredible that God lays everything before us, all kinds of riches, all manner of provision, and yet He has to implore us to come.  Just come.  No lines, no cranky sales clerks, no overspending on the credit card.  100% satisfaction.

“Out of my want and into Thy wealth, out of my sin and into Thyself — Jesus, I come to Thee.”