No human parent is perfect and mine weren’t
any exception. Some of the things I
learned from mine were good, but others were bad. One of the good things I learned from a bad habit of my Dad was to be careful
with the finances. He made some poor
investments and as a result, our family struggled. Gratefully, Mom knew how to keep us fed and
got us the other things we needed even if we didn’t have many wants. Of course, our two oldest siblings helped a
lot.
As a result of this history, I am
frugal. I am also very careful to pay back
everything I owe. Even when I was young
I would feel extremely uncomfortable
if I owed someone money (even a nickel) and couldn’t get it back right
away. That feeling of not clearing that
debt would trouble me until it was repaid which meant it happened asap. Fast forward to a few years after I was
married and hubby and I loaned a friend money for a vital need. We told him it was no rush getting it back,
but when week after week he couldn’t pay us, a strange thing happened. He distanced himself from our friendship and
soon we never heard from him.
 |
| Sin's debt crushing us to death |
Albert said it happened that way
occasionally when he helped people and it was because they became embarrassed
that they couldn’t pay him back. It made
sense to me because I would be embarrassed too.
Eventually the man either got the money and paid us back or we forgave
the debt and the friendship was renewed again, but it was never the same. On our side there was always that memory, “He
ignored us over something as inconsequential as cash…” so we didn’t loan him
money any more (gifts were okay) because the friendship was far more important
to us than money.
As I was thinking of this history I
thought about the debt I can NEVER repay-
my debt to the Savior for dying for my
sins. Born in sin, sinning still (though
I wish it not so) He died for me. If I
did good works all of my days and nights, filling my time with only good, it can never be worth a
human life let alone the sinless (2Cr. 5:21) life of my God and Savior. But He paid my debt, not so I could owe Him,
but to develop a friendship, a relationship with me. I don’t do good works to pay Him back, but to
be like Him and most importantly, to be His light in this world so that others
may come to know Him through me. I want them to know life through Jesus Christ-
the new life He has given to me.
We are sinners:
Therefore,
even as through one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so
death passed on all men inasmuch as all sinned: Rm. 5:12
But we are all
as the unclean thing, and all our
righteousnesses are as a menstruation
cloth… Is. 64:6
for all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God, Rm. 3:23
Against You,
You only (God), have I sinned, and done evil in Your sight; Ps. 51:4
But your
iniquities have come between you and your God… Is. 59:2
But according
to your hardness and your impenitent heart, do you treasure up wrath for
yourself in a day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, Rm.
2:5
The penalty of our sin is death:
For the wages
of sin is death… Rm. 6:23
And if anyone
was not found having been written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake
of Fire
Our Savior paid the price for our
sin:
…Christ died for our sins, according to the
Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day
according to the Scriptures; 1Cr. 15:4
…He said, It is finished! And He bowed His head and gave up the spirit. Jh. 19:30
knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible
things, silver or gold, …but with the
precious blood of Christ,1Pt. 1:18,19
…without
shedding of blood is no remission. Hb. 9:22
By this will we
are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Hb. 10:10
For by grace you are saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God,
Ep. 2:8