Do You Understand The Scope of Our True Debt?
Good Morning Friends,
Handling money can be a spiritual and moral issue. Its use and misuse affects others. The challenge is that we are to be both frugal and generous. It can become confusing. Sorting it out begins with understanding that what we have belongs to God. God wants us to enjoy it but also wants us to share. God wants us to realize what we are up against if we have unfunded debt. And for those of us living in the United States…brace yourself…that number is over $100 trillion. But even beyond that is our debt to God. Do You Understand The Scope of Our True Debt?
Scripture: Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:8 (NRSV)
Every seventh year you shall grant a remission of debts. And this is the manner of the remission: every creditor shall remit the claim that is held against a neighbor, not exacting it of a neighbor who is a member of the community, because the LORD’s remission has been proclaimed.
Deuteronomy 15:1-3 (NRSV)
“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Matthew 18:21-35 (NRSV)
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Matthew 6:12 (NIV)
Message: Money cannot buy you love or happiness but it can buy one misery. For too many people it is the drug of choice. The challenge is actually learning to love God and after that learning how to love each other and permitting others to love us. Poverty is not just about money. It is about the spirit as well. For learning to love is the prize. Where God is, love is. Where love is, success is. If we are hoping for a debt free economy then we need the energy of life to fuel it. Show me an example of love and that will change everything no matter how in debt our nation is… no matter how many people are financially challenged. Guilty we are as sinners, but in love of others we can be born of God. In today’s scripture we study the relationship between love and forgiveness, and begin to understand the confusion we have when we focus on our circumstances and not God’s love in our circumstances. Now some of you have been in a room of Christians from different denomination and it comes time to show our unity in prayer and we join hands and say the Lord’s Prayer. Then it comes to that moment where we have to decide whether it is going to be “debts or trespasses.” Now I am I am a Presbyterian and we say “debts” and no it is not because we are more concerned about debts than sins but let me tell you how blessed I am to not have a mortgage on my home. Both are correct. But I think it instructive to realize that Jesus chose debt as a metaphor for our debt of sin because his audience was literally filled with debtors who could not repay their debts. Now some think that some States are going to face a debt crisis similar to what happened to the banking industry and bond market a few years ago. But what has happened and what might happen is nothing compared to the consequences of debt for the poor in ancient times. In the bigger story of the saving act of Jesus on the cross, we recognize that to love abundantly is to be loved… to forgive abundantly is to be forgiven. We are confronted with the amazing love that God sent His Son to ask our Heavenly Father to forgive all our debts…all our trespasses and all our sins. This is an important lesson on why we must, from out of our love received, from out of the depths of our hearts be settling our debts. Friends, maybe a debt free world made out of love is nothing short of the Kingdom of God on earth. And for that we are going to have to wait for Jesus.
Pray that the Lord forgive us our debts as we forgive others. Pray we realize that we have a spiritual debt that Jesus, through the love of God has paid. Pray we realize that we have to receive the payment in and through love. Pray we understand the blessings of God. Pray we are given the chance to pay it forward. Pray we experience God settling our debts. Pray were embrace the purpose of forgiveness and the reconciliation it provides. Pray we realize that we can never pay in gratitude alone but can only pay “in kind” somewhere else in life. Pray when we think about our debts and debtors that we realize it is also about our deepest and most intimate relationships. Pray we have been redeemed. Pray we thank those people to whom we are indebted. Pray we realize that forgiveness is an attribute of the strong. Pray we realize that to be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in us. Pray we are willing to receive the forgiveness of God by forgiving others.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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