Our Great Debt
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:13-15
Insight
$31,258,012,754,125
As I type these words, that total serves as the US National Debt. Correction. That's a lie. It just went up 4 million dollars in the amount of time it took me to type out my first sentence. In another tab on my computer screen, website that tracks these astronomically absurd numbers plays in the background.
It's at $31,258,014,234,225 now.
I can feel my blood pressure skyrocketing almost as quickly as the financial numbers spin out of control. Turn the tide in the opposite direction appears to be a lost cause, while turning the clock to zero an impossible venture.
$31,258,017,148,343
Highlighting these numbers isn't a political statement about living above our means or wasteful government spending. I'll leave that to the political strategist and economists.
$31,258,020,723,666
No, I delve into these numbers as a spiritual example and reminder - not only for you but also for me. An interesting thing occurs the farther we get away from that first encounter with the cross and God's love. We lose sight of not only the outstanding debt of our sin but the unfathomable generosity of grace.
$31,258,022,323,121
Trying to pay our debt off through good works or religious duty is an exercise of grand futility. In the grand scheme of things, all of our efforts are Monopoly money and candy coins. They might look shiny and pretty on the outside, but they hold no value.
$31,258,025,222,218
By heading to the cross and conquering death, Christ canceled our debt. He zeroed out our balance and ripped up our checkbook. He is rich in mercy and lavishes us with grace. Christ not only cleared our ledger; He did us one better. He deposited the Holy Spirit into our accounts so we would never be alone.
$0.00
In God's economy, that's what we owe. NOTHING. ZIP. ZILCH. NADA. Stop trying to pay it back, and instead live richly.
Reflection
Where are you attempting to make up for your mistakes, earn God's love, and prove your worth?
What would it look like to approach this situation knowing Christ has paid it all, and you owe Him nothing?
Prayer
God, You generously paid it all for me. My mind can't fathom the depths of that unconditional love. May I never lose sight of the tremendous cost of my forgiveness, so I never question Your faithfulness and presence in my life. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.
