How Much Do You Owe?

I hate to be redundant, but WOW! Sorry, I just don't know another way to express my Praise and Surprise verbally. God is Faithful! His Word is true and He is true to His Word. He keeps His Word and Promises to us as His children. I am awed in His Presence this early morning. He got me up at 4:40 AM with a clear sense that He wanted to show me something. Nothing wrong or bad, but like a Father who wanted His child to get up early to see the new bicycle that He special ordered. So for me it was not so much a new bicycle, but to show me that He is Faithful and to "show" me that He can do whatever He wants to despite what is going on in the world around us. Then it became clear that His Plan is for me to show my "bicycle" to you. Not boasting in what I got, but in telling you that my Father is also your Father. Your "bicycle" has been ordered and is now waiting to be delivered to your doorstep.

Let me start from the beginning. Here are a couple short, but significant scripture references:

Psalm 50:14-15 (New Living Translation)

¹⁴ Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
¹⁵ Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”

Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 (King James Version)

⁴When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

⁵Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

David and son Solomon were kings over Israel at different times, but both were very wealthy. The two men "owed God" for all that He had done in their lives. Apparently David had some clear personal "vows" that He made between himself and the Father God. On more than one occasion David wrote that he "would" and then later that he "had" paid his vows before the great congregation. He was not ashamed to be the king and yet admit to his subjects that he owed something to God.

Most of us in our lives have made vows to God. They were made in varying sets of circumstances. In some cases the promises were made in a clear and calm manner, not bargaining, but out of love and devotion to God. Then there were the times of illness, repentance, or desperation while in the pits of despair. We cried out to God for help and then promised Him anything that came to mind to get His Help. No matter what the circumstances He heard our prayers and answered us. In most cases no vow was even required by our Father. He already loved us and promised us in His Word that He would do thus and so for His children. Ecc 5:5 warns us that is better to not made a vow rather than making one and then not paying it.

God does not even require us to make vows to Him. He just loves us. Period! The Word of God is full of His Promises. They are love promises. When man begins to bargain or barter with God we usually lose sight of His promises and begin to focus on ourselves. We are not so faithful as God. We do not have the power He has. We cannot see the future like He does. Most of mankind's "checks" bounce. We mean well, but just do not have what it takes to go all the way most of the time!

Time to pay up!

What are we to do now? We promised God certain things and we cannot possibly pay all that we owe Him. What happens when God "forecloses" on people? A few years ago we began to study about Prayer Counseling. One important point was repenting over "rash vows" and praying to be forgiven and to break those vows. This is just an act of faith in seeking God for His undeserved mercy and grace. Like the scripture says, it is best to NOT make such vows. God does not require them. We do need to face them. We do need to repent and break them so that they are not hanging over our heads daily causing us to hide from God as Adam and Eve did. They sinned and disobeyed. Then they tried to cover their sin with man made "leaves". We are naked before God. We cannot hide from him.

Jesus paid for our sins. He died on the cross to pay our total debt. We now have access to the Holy of Holy Place through His Blood, Death and Resurrection. We are now covered by His Blood. God sees us through the Veil of Jesus' Body and Blood. We are not perfect or spotless, but we have Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father making constant intercession for us. In Psalm 50 David suggested that we make "thankfulness" our sacrifice when we approach the Throne of God. In my personal opinion two keys that we have are:

1. Honest and heartfelt repentance. No excuses. I am a sinner and I ask for Your Forgiveness. Period!

2. Thanksgiving and Praise. This is one of the main reasons we were created, to praise God.

Check Out Time!

How much is this going to cost me? Do I have enough money to cover my check? Many years ago Sharon spent 10 days in the Kyushu University hospital while undergoing extensive tests. On the day of her discharge I went to the business office. At that time we could not get the nation health insurance. I was dreading the huge bill that they would give me. I knew we did not have the money to cover all the costs that had incurred. I was trying to figure out how to get an extended time to pay off our debt. When the papers were handed to me I spent several minutes confused and wondering if a mistake had been made. The bill was marked - "Paid in Full"! Someone, somehow had paid the entire bill!

I don't know how much you owe. It would be impossible for me to pay all that I owe God, even with my very life. I literally owe God everything that I have! It all belongs to Him. That is why I praise Him, because He loves me and I love Him. I am just a steward of a rich life full of blessings and bountiful benefits. In 55 years of being a Christian I have not come near being about to "repay" God for all He has done for me. I have surrendered all to Him and now serve His joyfully as an adopted Child. He daily loads me down with His benefits.

Sorry. It is hard to stop. Ever try to talk to a child who just got the most wonderful Christmas gift that they ever wanted? They continue to chatter on talking about how beautiful their present is and then stop only for a few moments to throw their arms around the father and mother who made them so happy. Then they kiss the parent on the cheek and whisper, I love you Mommy. I love you Daddy. That is the way I feel today.

May your Father bless you today. Don't be afraid to open the door to Him. He has a bicycle waiting for you!

Dan Corbett

"Reaching One Among Millions"