Paid in Full

I am one of those people who don’t like to owe anybody anything. When I’ve taken out loans for things in the past, like for a car or for college tuition, I strived to settle those debts as soon as possible by paying extra whenever I could.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t enjoy seeing those bills come month after month that never seem to diminish much due to accruing interest. Knowing I owe someone makes me feel as if they own me until that balance is paid in full. It’s not a good feeling; it’s like I’m shackled and trapped.

I also have a hard time accepting things from others, even if it’s something minor like buying my meal or a cup of coffee. I feel like I am then in that person’s debt and must repay them in a similar fashion. I don’t know why I feel that way because when I give a gift, it’s simply that, a gift that I enjoy offering to someone to show that I care about them. I don’t want anything in return.

It can be hard to perceive at times, but a true gift is freely given without any expectation. The Bible teaches us that is truly how gifts should be given. “One person gives freely, yet gains more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor. A generous person will be enriched, and the one who gives a drink of water will receive water,” (Proverbs 11:24-25).

Sometimes, however, our pride gets in the way, and it’s hard for some of us to accept that form of love, the kindness of gift giving. However, we must remember that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows,” (James 1:17).

No matter how much I dislike debt, there is one debt that I will never be able to repay, no matter how much I try. That debt was paid freely in love, and the price was steep. The debt was my sin and the sin of the world, and the payment was the precious blood of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It is one debt I am grateful for, and although it breaks my heart to know how Jesus suffered for us, I also understand that His blood was the only payment that could have been accepted for such an expense. Our perfect Savior gave His life for this imperfect woman, and He gave His life for you too. Even though we didn’t deserve it and we can never repay Him for that ultimate sacrifice, we can still do all we can for Jesus, including what He expects of us.

What are those expectations? The first is to believe that all happened as it is written in God’s Word. “’He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. ‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed,’” (1 Peter 2:22-24).

The second expectation is to repent of our sins while humbly accepting that precious payment for them. Acts 2:38 tells us, “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

Thirdly, we are to tell others about the debt that was paid in full. “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:15).

Pay your debts in full here on earth, humbly accept gifts freely given, and be grateful for the ultimate price Jesus Christ paid to ensure your eternal life. One day, you’ll be able to thank the Savior in-person.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Romans 6:23).

Completed

When you think about your life, you may feel you’re doing pretty well overall. You have your act together, and things have just fallen nicely into place for you. You have no complaints, and you’re prospering. If that’s you, praise the Lord!

Some of us, however, may not have our lives so seamlessly aligned. If you’re like me, your morning may have gone something like this:

After pulling the new Easter shirts you bought last minute yesterday out of the dryer for your boys, you found they were too big, so you had to scramble to find two others suitable for Resurrection Sunday. Your teenage daughter started getting ready twenty minutes before you had to leave because she thought church started an hour later than it did.  

After corralling your three children into the car with your eighteen-year-old driving you because you realized yesterday that you completely forgot to renew your driver’s license, you then arrived late to Sunrise Service.

You didn’t bring anything to contribute to the breakfast meal because this was the first time you dragged yourself out of bed early enough to make it to Sunrise Service, and you didn’t know the custom. During breakfast at church, your youngest child who, due to sensory needs, tends to either stuff his mouth full of food or chew on his fingers, somehow got choked, started gagging, and vomited up all his Easter breakfast. Praise the Lord you were standing next to a trash can at the time! Need I go on?

Maybe you can relate to this some days, and maybe you can’t. However, I think it’s safe to say that most of us don’t have it all together, even though we try hard to do so or try to make it seem as if we do.

Sometimes, you may feel like you’re being pulled in several different directions all at once. Sometimes it may feel like life is progressing for those all around you, while you feel at a standstill. You may feel incomplete, like something is missing in your life.

Furthermore, we likely all have mannerisms, personalities, or bad habits that we might not be proud of or that others may find offensive. These can also be called sin and may include the following: quick to anger, selfishness, negative disposition, drunkenness, gossiping, lying, cheating, smoking, foul language, abusiveness, addiction, unforgiving nature, gluttony, sexual immorality…the list could go on and on.

It’s also likely that many of us have physical attributes that we wish we could alter about ourselves, or maybe others have damaged our self-esteem with negative comments about our looks.

We all will have days when we feel defeated, unworthy, and depressed. Some days we may experience harsh words, rude behavior, or jealous thoughts that make us feel broken and incomplete.

The fact is no one is perfect. We all have problems. Appearances can be deceiving, and all that glitters is, in fact, not gold. Therefore, give yourself some grace because by yourself, you are incomplete. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me,” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The way others see you and even the way you see yourself, does not change the way your Heavenly Father sees you. He wants you to see yourself as he sees you. “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart,’” (1 Samuel 16:7).

No matter the struggles and insecurities you are facing, know that you became complete the moment you accepted Jesus as your Savior. When Jesus gave His last breath on the cross and died for our sins, He removed every imperfection from those who love and follow Him. He completed what we could never do alone; he perfected us. “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy,” (Hebrews 10:14).

The next time you look in the mirror, take a moment to really look at yourself. Don’t dwell on the physical…the stress lines, the extra pounds, the hurt in your eyes, or the indifferent mask you show the world, but look deeper and see the amazing creation you are. See yourself how God sees you, as His beautiful child. See yourself as you are, as Jesus made you…complete.

“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power,” (Colossians 2:9-10).

The End

I am an avid reader of books. In fact, I’m in a book club that meets to discuss a different book monthly. We also individually rate the book on a zero to five scale, with five being the best rating. Rarely do I rate a book a five. It must be a rather special book to garner such a tribute from me.

When I read a book that is a five, I don’t want it to end. The conclusion of a great book is sad because the end is just that, The End. Unless the book is part of a series, it’s over, done, finished. There’s nothing else to look forward to regarding that story.

Unlike a physical book, when you think about the end of your story, it’s likely not something you want to dwell on. It’s also likely that you don’t want to quickly get to the end of your story to see what happens.

Jesus didn’t have that choice; He already knew how His story would end. How did He know that?

Firstly, although in human form, Jesus was God and God knows everything. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” (John 1:1). “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth,” (John 1:14).

Secondly, Jesus’ life and death were prophesied hundreds of years prior to His birth. One such prophecy can be found in Isaiah 53. I will share a few verses, but I encourage you to read the passage fully.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth,” (Isaiah 53:5-9).

Jesus knew He would die, and He knew it would not be an easy death. Yet, He courageously and obediently followed through with the plan.

Unlike a physical book that ends, the end of Jesus’ life on earth wasn’t the end of His story. Your life doesn’t end upon your earthly death either if you know Jesus Christ as your Savior. “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die,” (John 11:25-26).

You can read the details of Jesus’ crucifixion and death through different accounts in Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19. When the end had come, Jesus knew and even said so aloud.

“Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit,” (John 19:28-30).

If you’ve ever held vigil over someone who is dying, you probably understand the importance of someone’s last words. As Jesus cried out that final phrase, he was proclaiming to all who could hear that the tasks Father God sent Him to fulfill on earth had been completed, our sin debt paid in full, and His suffering finally over.

However, “It is finished,” does not mean it is the end of this story. In fact, it is only the beginning of new life for we sinners who, “…were dead in your transgressions and sins,” (Ephesians 2:1), but through Jesus’ death and resurrection, “made us alive with Christ…” (Ephesians 2:5).

When Jesus breathed His final breath, we know from scripture that the veil of the Holy Temple, which separated God’s dwelling place on earth from the people, was torn in two from top to bottom. This signified the end of our separation from God and a new opportunity for us to have a personal relationship with Him.

Finally, as we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, we know that Jesus still lives, as we read in Luke 24:5-6, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” Amen!

Our debt to God was paid in full by Jesus. It is finished. No other payment required. We are completed when we accept His salvation. The end in this story is not truly The End. There is still much left to tell and look forward to if Christ is your Savior because death has been conquered and life restored.

“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 6:8-11).

Don’t let your story end with your last breath on earth.“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved,” (Romans 10:9).

Have a blessed week, and Happy Resurrection Sunday!

-Becky