In a far-off area of one of the Philippine Islands, the usefulness of Al’s old motorbike had finally come to an end. He didn’t have enough money to buy another, but he had no other way to get to the mountain villages. Al prayed for another motorbike so he could continue to take the good news of Jesus Christ to the mountain people. The distances were so far that even after riding on his motorbike for three hours, he still had to walk another five or six hours to reach the villages.
When Al was offered a good, second-hand motorbike, he decided to try to buy it, but he did not know when he would ever get it paid off. It was a great debt.
A Christian worker from Canada was visiting in that area of the island and heard about Al’s need of money to pay for his second-hand motorbike. When the worker returned home, he told many of his friends of Al’s faithfulness in taking the gospel message to the mountain villages. He also told them that Al was not able to pay the money he owed for the second-hand motorbike. Many of those people decided to help him pay for it, and when the Canadian worker returned to the Philippine island, he had enough money to give to Al to pay off his debt.
Al’s wife went with him to pay the bill, and they both were so happy when they saw the owner write the words “PAID IN FULL” on the bill. The motorbike now belonged to Al. A debt that had been impossible for them to pay was paid by someone else.
You and I have a debt that we simply cannot pay - it is the great debt of our sins that we owe to God. We need outside help, and God Himself has supplied the answer to that need for us. “He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever [believes] in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)). The Lord Jesus Christ came all the way to earth, becoming the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world by dying on the cross in our place. “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!” (John 1:2929The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)).
But before we can have the words “PAID IN FULL” written across the great debt of our sins, there is something that each of us must do. Al accepted with thankfulness the gift of money for payment of the motorbike debt, and I must accept God’s offer of payment for the debt of my sins by believing that Jesus died on the cross for them. I must admit my need of payment that I cannot make for my sins and accept God’s gift of salvation, and thank Him for the great price His Son Jesus paid to have me in heaven.
Are the words “PAID IN FULL” written across the debt of your sins?
ML-10/26/2003