Many a summer night was spent growing up pasting Green Stamps into the
little books, hoping to have enough to get the premium you really wanted.
S&H Green Stamps, a product of Sperry and Hutchinson, were coupons, stamps
given with each purchase at certain retailers. One stamp for each dime spent,
you would literally have to lick and paste hundreds of stamps to fill a book.
When shopping you looked for the S&H sign outside, it was like an added
bonus for doing business there, and many families, like ours, would wait until
the junk drawer filled up with them, then spend a night around the kitchen table
licking and sticking. Gazing through the catalog on breaks, dreaming of what
you wanted. From toasters to sporting equipment, there was something for
everyone, with one key component, you always seemed to fall short of how many
books it took to get that special gift. But once you did, it was off to the
redemption center, to stand in line, pick your premium, and then have each page
scrutinized to make sure no stamps were missing. A lot of work for something
free, but that was America 50-60 years ago.
In our area Plaid Stamps were a competitor for awhile, but never had the
impact of Green Stamps. I can remember the dispensers on top of the registers
at the super market, with a rotary phone dial, after paying, the clerk would
dial how many stamps you would receive, and you often got a long, long trail of
them on your big grocery day. It all seemed a game to us kids, the catalog
given to us to occupy our time, but we seldom shared in the rewards. I can
remember getting them for gas when I first started driving, filling the ash tray
in the Pinto, no one smoked in our cars, and when it was filled, thought I had
enough for a big premium, boy was I surprised. I found it was cheaper to just
go buy it. I lost touch with Green Stamps in the seventies, they finally folded
in 1981, with less than 100 stores giving them out. It seemed we rather have
discounts, cheaper prices, and even generics, remember the white labels with the
black printing? Our generation thought price, my parent’s thought value, and
never would the two ever meet. It took 1200 stamps to fill a book, or spend
$120 to earn stamps to fill it, a lot in days of 25 cent gas and 69 cent big
bags of chips. Those prices along with Green Stamps are gone, we rather have
the discount up front, no ne wants to work for a premium, and if they do, find
the work was not worth the reward.
Religion has given salvation a bad name. What Jesus offers for free, some
want you to earn. Work hard for your salvation, hoping that you may have worked
hard enough to enter heaven, but never knowing. Study more, pray more, attend
church more, sit through longer services more. You know the drill, but none of
that leads to salvation. There is no redemption value to it, unlike Green
Stamps where a purchase was made and a reward given, salvation is a gift from
God via his son Jesus Christ. No matter how hard you work, how religious or
pious you are, you fall short. So God gave us an offer we cannot refuse, but
yet many do. Their pride cannot let them accept free forgiveness, they feel
vindicated only when they can brag how hard they worked for it. They never
consider how hard Jesus worked for our salvation. And the go to their graves
never knowing, and finding out too late they were wrong. Now Christians meeting
together and fellowshipping is a good thing. Spending time in the word, praying
and meditating on Jesus is a good thing. But without him it is fruitless, for
without the spirit, we are doomed to death. No matter how many books you have
filled with your rewards, there is no premium at the end. It is not a matter of
not enough stamps or books, it is to know Jesus, and he is the only way.
Simple, and leaves more time to ride.
I find it funny, not ha ha but weird that the best free offer you will ever
get is turned down, and you rather work for it. Yet too many do, becoming a
slave to religion and legalism, living the life of a Christian by the rules, yet
never receiving the premium of life. “But didn’t we do such and such?” the
church bragged, then complained to Jesus. “Look what we did, look who we are!”
His answer, “be gone I never knew you.” You see, their hard work was all about
them, to be recognized for their accomplishments, they never gave Jesus the
credit or the honor for his accomplishments. It is who he is and what he has
done, not who we are and what we have done. Pay day comes one day to a
Christian in the form of redemption, and rather than filling books with stamps,
God writes our names in the book of life. Redemption means more to God than
working for it, his love wants to set you free, not hold you hostage. Jesus
came to set the captives free, not S&H!
Yet many still try or are misled. You cannot earn your way to God. But
you can accept his free gift in Jesus. Finally why a free gift from God of
salvation? One because he loves you, but to set you free form bondage. Many
were kept in bondage collecting stamps, only to find the effort was not worth
it. Same with religion, they cannot pay the price, find they are being held
hostage and give up on God altogether. Fortunately he never gives up on us!
Gain your redemption today in Jesus, and be set free. No lines for it either,
you can accept Jesus right now where you are. No service, crusade, TV ad or
show to respond to. No man involved except Jesus, you go right to the front of
the line. Maybe the old adage about hard work never killing someone is a lie,
for trying to earn salvation by works ends in death. The work is done, the plan
is simple, and affordable. Fads come and go, so does religion, only Jesus
remains. What part of free don’t you understand?
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com