Diane and I are both signed up to get email offers from Ruby Tuesday. Over this past weekend I had a coupon code in my email for “Buy one meal, get one for $3.” I told Diane about my offer and she said the offer was in the email this time was get the second one for 50% off. I double checked and so did she and it turned out that we each had different offers. Then last night I told her I got another email for this week and it was the same, buy one meal, get the second for $3. Diane checked her email and to our surprise, this time hers was “buy one, get the second for $2”! We have received these emails for several years and have only recently noticed them to be different.
I understand why businesses would send out different offers to different people. If one person never redeems their offer, a business would be wise to send that person a more tempting offer. If another person always redeems their offer, the business could try to make more money by sending a less attractive offer assuming the person would still redeem it. Instead of loyalty gaining a person something, the loyalty could actually work against a person.
This makes me think of humanity’s relationship with God and the offer God has made us to be restored into right relationship with Him. Sometimes people are of the opinion that only terrible people need to ask God for forgiveness. Some think their own wrongs are so minor that there is no was their own indiscretions are serious enough to require the death of Jesus on the cross… that surely a few good deeds could make up for the little bit they have done wrong. The Bible paints a different picture. The Bible tells us that a perfect life is required to be in right relationship with God. It also says that we have all fallen short of perfection. No matter how we try to minimize our wrongs, we would all agree none of us are perfect. The offer is the same for the person who has, by anyone’s definition, lived a great life or have instead lived what society would consider a terrible life. The offer is this: Jesus’ perfect life for your imperfect life. The same blood covers all. There is no other offer coming.
Scott Knowlton's Blog 