Cash the Check
By Susan Klein
“Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred
denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so
he canceled the debts of both.”
Luke 7: 41-42a (NIV)
Two years ago, while
waiting in line at the bank, I overheard the teller explain to the lady in
front of me, “I’m sorry ma’am, we cannot cash this check for you. You have
insufficient funds in your account to cover it.” In order to cash the check, she would have to
first make a deposit into her account. She left the bank - - check in hand.
I pondered this as I
waited my turn. I was holding a check that my daughter asked me to deposit into
her account for her while away at school. If I did not deposit it for her, she
could find herself in a similar situation, with insufficient funds to pay her
debts. She was counting on me to make that deposit for her.
How often do we view
our spiritual life in this manner? After sinning, we feel left with with a
debt, which must somehow be paid. We try to write a check from our storehouse
of “good deeds,” hoping that we’ve banked enough of them to cover over our
offense. “I give to the poor, I serve at church, I don’t ever drink
excessively…that should count for something.”…until the next time we sin. If
the funds seem insufficient, we look for more good deeds to deposit into our
account, hoping it will be enough to cover our debt and please our Creditor.
But is it ever enough?
No. It isn’t. We
can’t ever satisfy the debt we owe to God for all of our sins. No sacrifice is
great enough, no amount big enough. We’ll always have “insufficient funds” to
cover our debt. However, the Creditor is not asking us for payment. In fact, He
knew a long time ago that we’d never have enough in our account so He chose to
make a deposit on our behalf. It cost Him dearly, but He did it out of love.
His deposit, unlike ours, is limitless. It keeps replenishing, and can never be
depleted. Any past, present or future debt has already been covered by His
magnanimous deposit. We’ve been given the great riches of His grace and mercy,
and we are free to draw on them at any time. No more “debt,” no more
“insufficient funds,” no more standing in line at the bank wondering.
Go ahead, don’t be
afraid. Cash the check!
GOING
DEEPER:
- Do you know with certainty that your debts
have been “paid in full” through the cross of Jesus
Christ?(If not, consider reading http://www.oakwoodnow.org/resources/following-jesus.html)
Are you living like it’s true?
FURTHER
READING:
Susan
is married to Mark, and has two adult children. She enjoys teaching Bible
studies, writing, and tutoring with the Literacy Council. She is a member of
the Peace Team at Oakwood and also co-leads an on-site small group.
