Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord. (Ps. 107:43)
Expanded Passage: Psalm 107:33-43
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” my high school economics teacher lectured us one day. “Everything costs you something.”
Mr. Lombardo, one of the most popular teachers in the school, would tell us students each day about supply and demand, the logic of the free market. And he would always return to his favorite phrase: “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
Over the years, I saw this logic to be true. Seemingly free things—dresses, social media accounts, or, yes, meals—always came at a price, even if it was just my attention. But when I learned about God, I heard a different logic, a radical wisdom.
God places the last first, and the first last. He cares for the poor and condemns the rich who selfishly hoard their wealth. He challenges the religious leaders and lifts up the sinners. As we listen to Christ’s voice, we not only grow in obedience, but also in this wisdom—a wisdom that says, “There is such a thing as a free lunch.” In fact, Christ’s body is itself that meal, offered to us free of charge.
As I think back to high school economics, I remember the useful advice my teacher offered, but I also remember the fundamental shift in values my faith brought just a year later—from the logic of economics to the wisdom of grace.
Trust God, heed his words, and grow in his radical wisdom.
Lindsey Priest is an Indiana Wesleyan University graduate. She likes to read to her kids, play video games with her husband, and refurbish furniture.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
