“ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:21
“Insufficient Funds.” Have you ever received a notice from your bank with these words on them? I’m not sure if banks send them out anymore. I remember when I was in college I received a couple of these notices in the mail. They also came with a note that said you will be charged $25 for having insufficient funds in your checking account. Perfectly right and fair, for me writing a check when I didn’t have the money to pay for it. I remember the first time I got this notice all I could think was, “Well, If I didn’t have enough money in my account where do you think I’m going to get the other $25?
Of course, the obvious answer was either someone else, or I just wouldn’t be able to pay it at all, and have to close out my account at that bank.
As I watch the news these days, I see that our country is becoming more and more aware that we have “insufficient funds,” and we are trying to figure out how we are going to get ourselves back in balance. Somebody is going to have to help us do that. There is a price that must be paid for our debt to be cleared. The same thing is true spiritually. Our sin has caused a debt to God that we cannot pay. When it comes to the wrongs we have committed against God not only do we show “insufficient funds.” But there is no way that we could ever even work our way to even with God. The good news is that God loves us enough to provide the answer.
When I was in college, I had to humble myself and call my dad, and say: “dad. I messed up with my money, can you help me.” Spiritually, we need to call upon the Father in Heaven and say, “ Father, I have sinned against you, and I know there is no way to life without your help, without your forgiveness. When we do that, we come to the understanding that God has paid the price for us. He made Jesus to be sin, who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. In other words, The Insufficient notice is gone. It’s like that old song says: He paid a debt He did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay, I needed someone to wash my sins away; and now I sing a brand new song, “Amazing Grace all day long, Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.”
Thank you God for loving me that much!!!
(Editor’s Note: This column is written by a different Littlefield pastor for the Leader-News each week. The columns are published on this page on Wednesdays.)