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A Weight Lifted   

Upon graduating from college in May of 1996, I was staring at some debt I had accrued in addition to my school loans. This additional debt of $13,000 consisted of two credit cards I had maxed out, a used car loan, and a loan from one of my best friends. 

The credit card debt was basically $7,500 of unwise, wasteful spending. I’m embarrassed to say that I would then take out cash advances in order to make the minimum monthly payment. I was one of those suckers whom credit card companies salivate over.

The day after I returned home after graduation, my seventy-nine-year-old Aunt Vera told me to stop by her house, which was only a few blocks away. After coming inside and sitting down at her kitchen table, she asked, “Sweetie, your dad mentioned some debt you’d like to pay off. How much was that again?” “Um, thirteen thousand,” I sheepishly responded.

And then she proceeded to write out a check for thirteen thousand bones before sliding it across the table to me. All I could do was sit there stunned. Eventually, with tears in my eyes, I went over to give her a big hug. In an instant a weight was lifted.

This has always been a vivid picture of what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. Just like I certainly did not deserve the lavish gift from my Aunt Vera, none of us deserves the lavish gift we’ve been given in Christ,

“Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:7-8 NLT)

This, my friend, is extravagant grace beyond description. When we deserve nothing but eternal punishment due to our debt of sin, we instead receive this offer of complete forgiveness. 

But wait, there’s more! God not only wipes out our debt of sin. He also credits our spiritual bank account with HIS righteousness. 

Tomorrow, we’ll take a closer at how God’s grace and our faith work hand in hand.

Prayer:

"Father, we fall to our knees in worship and reverence as a result of what Your Son accomplished on our behalf. Though we've sinned greatly, Jesus willingly shed His precious blood as full payment for our salvation. Help us to constantly remember this Gift of all gifts. In the powerful name of Jesus we pray, amen."