“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.” (Isaiah 55:1-2)
In daily life, we spend money and/or labor for our food. “There’s no such thing as a free lunch” is even a common saying in the English-speaking world. Whatever economic system we design, we’ll always have to work and/or pay for our daily needs. But in God’s Kingdom, things are completely different. God invites us to ‘buy’ his rich foods without money and without price! He is like a welcoming host who invites guests to a banquet. That imagery is used by Jesus in a parable (see Matthew 22), and it is also used in the book of Revelation where an angel speaks about “the marriage supper of the Lamb” [= of Jesus Christ].
When Jesus sent his disciples out to proclaim the Gospel, He also told them: “You received without paying; give without pay” (Matthew 10:8). This actually is the core of the Gospel: God offers eternal life to people who have no
rights at all, and who can’t pay Him back for the grace they receive. He does not require anything of us except our wholehearted devotion.
Is there any reason why you would decline this invitation?