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Home→Devotional→“Hello, this is Discover Card” “Hello, this is Discover Card,” the woman said, “Did you forget to pay your bill this month.”

My wife took the call and didn’t think we had forgotten.  But then we discovered we had.  Arrghh!  A $39 extra charge and the irritation of dealing with a late bill was the result.  It was due to a small change in how we organize our bills.  We really do pay our bills on time and are quite diligent about it.  It’s only that the Discover bill had got put in a new folder and I hadn’t realized it.

Have you ever done that?  Notice how you never hear from Mr. Discover when you pay the bill on time.  They just take the money and bank it.  But be late and they become your best friend.  Rightfully so, it’s their money.

There’s something about owing money that is depressing.  There’s this invisible leash connecting you and your creditor.  They never forget that you owe them, even if you forget.  Until that debt is paid you’re not free.  I’ve heard of people who had so much debt that it would be seemingly impossible to pay – $80,000 to $90,000 credit card debt.  Imagine! That’s some serious depression.

There’s a debt we owe that we can never pay.  We’re in bondage because of it.  We’re not free until it is paid.  But we can never pay for it ourselves.  It’s the price for our crimes against God, or sin as the Bible calls it.

Some people try and pay this debt themselves.  They try bargaining with God by saying, “Hey God, I’ll go to church every week.”  Or, “I’ll give 1% of my money to United Way.”  They try to be good humans.  There’s nothing wrong with trying to be a good human.  It’s just that it won’t take care of this debt we owe God.

Fortunately a payment has already been made.  Christ came and paid it for us.  We can be free, have peace of mind, and receive eternal life by accepting that gift by faith.

I remember when I did many years ago.  I’m so grateful to God for what he did for me.  The debt is gone and now I’m free.

What’s your balance due to God?  Would you consider accepting Christ’s payment to settle it?


