Sometimes I don't know how we did it. I look back and think how amazing it is that we kept a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. When my husband and I were younger we didn't make much money. Sometimes the week was longer than the paycheck...Back in the day you could hope to finagle things when writing a check for a bill. There was no electronic bill paying, or paying with a debit card. It was cash, check or credit card. And there were times when you would write a check and cross your fingers that it wouldn't clear before your next paycheck was deposited in the bank. I got caught a couple of times trying that. Of course there was overdraft protection. Sounded so nice. If that check goes through too early then they will cover it. How nice! Until those overdraft fees started adding up and then you could never get caught up. I think today it is $35 for each instance. Yikes.
Sure would have been nice to have had a rich uncle leave me a fortune. Some big inheritance deposited into my bank account. Oooo-weee! Wouldn't that be something! Never have to budget again, never have to worry about the bills being paid. Right, how does that work out for most people? Just look at the history of most lottery winners. They end up broke again faster than they can say 'quick pick'. It is sad but we fallible humans tend to squander our resources and then wonder what in the world happened; ending up worse than when we started.
Sometimes I look at how I tend to live frivolously; not so much financially but in other ways. I forget to read the word as much as I should. I don't pray as often as I know I ought to. I certainly don't love others as freely as it says in the bible to; love your neighbor as yourself? Yeah...no. When I do some honest evaluating of my life, I sometimes wonder how God can still love me. How He can look at me and see me as His child, beloved and cherished. But then I have to remember that as His child, as one saved by the blood of Christ, He no longer sees me. He sees Jesus. When I sin, He sees it through the lens of Jesus' blood.
When I fail He sees me with the never ending love of my heavenly Father. When I have days where I fall off the wagon of human kindness, when I have epic fails and the devil throws every accusation at me that he can, God just says "Have you seen my Son?" He no longer sees me, He sees His Son. You have probably sometime in your life heard the phrase 'the Roman's road to salvation'. It takes the book of Romans and shows the steps that it takes to become saved. Starting in chapter 3 stating that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Onto chapter 6 where we see that the price of sin is death. Then chapter 5 states that God loved us even when we were sinners and then into chapter 10 where he says that if we will confess with our mouth and believe then we can be saved. And again back in chapter 3:22 it then states, " the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe." (ESV) We exchange our sin for Jesus' righteousness. The twenty dollar word for that is 'imputed'. The definition of that in a legal sense is this, 'to ascribe to or charge (a person) with an act or quality because of the conduct of another over whom one has control'. Or in simple terms, because of Jesus' obedience to live a sinless life and then to die on the cross for us, His righteousness has been put to our account. It is like that rich uncle I mentioned earlier, but vastly better. This righteousness that has been put to my account can never be squandered. I can never outspend it, I can never drain the account. The only one who could do that won't because He is a good God. He has placed a supernatural overdraft protection on that account and it will never run out.
Let me tell you, there are days where I am just so grateful that His righteousness in me can never be frittered away, overdrawn or dissipated. Does that mean that we can then just rest on our laurels and do nothing. Or more accurately His laurels, as it is all His work and His grace. No, we are to strive to live lives that honor His sacrifice and that will bring glory to His name. We are to take that righteousness imputed to us and share its riches with others so that they might also taste and see that the Lord is good. We are to live a life that reflects who Jesus is and let others see Him in us. Our goal is to live a life that will cause others to see us no longer, but rather to see Him.
Talking about banks and debit cards and overdraft protection, the big worry these days is identity theft. I always used to joke, hey steal my identity, good luck with that. I'm broke, not much you can take from me. And try to open new accounts, ha that's a laugh. My debt to income ratio is lopsided already. Maybe you can steal my identity and leave me a better one. You know what, I have already had my identity taken. And it was replaced with a far better one. My sinful life was exchanged for His righteousness. My ignoble history was replaced with a regal heritage. My pitiful reality was traded for a glorious future. All of this because I said 'yes'. Yes to Him. Yes to my sins being forgiven. Yes to a life of freedom. Yes to everlasting life. Yes to fellowship with Him. I tell you, there are times when I write my blog and meditate on all that He has done for me and I cannot but cry. I sit here with tears in my eyes so grateful for a new life. So grateful for His love. So thankful for forgiveness and mercy. It feels better than winning the lottery. It is like watching the "Price is right". Do you want what's behind curtain 1, 2 or 3? Wait, you get them all and behind curtain number 2 isn't a broken down wash tub. Do you understand that? In exchange for your 'nothing' you receive everything! You enter a broken down beggar and leave with a purple robe, a crown and the keys to the kingdom. You enter that bank hoping to open an account with pennies and learn that your Father owns the bank. Oh my friend, stop living in penury, digging through the trash for crumbs. If you call yourself a child of God, then live like His child. Chosen, loved and privileged.
Sure would have been nice to have had a rich uncle leave me a fortune. Some big inheritance deposited into my bank account. Oooo-weee! Wouldn't that be something! Never have to budget again, never have to worry about the bills being paid. Right, how does that work out for most people? Just look at the history of most lottery winners. They end up broke again faster than they can say 'quick pick'. It is sad but we fallible humans tend to squander our resources and then wonder what in the world happened; ending up worse than when we started.
Sometimes I look at how I tend to live frivolously; not so much financially but in other ways. I forget to read the word as much as I should. I don't pray as often as I know I ought to. I certainly don't love others as freely as it says in the bible to; love your neighbor as yourself? Yeah...no. When I do some honest evaluating of my life, I sometimes wonder how God can still love me. How He can look at me and see me as His child, beloved and cherished. But then I have to remember that as His child, as one saved by the blood of Christ, He no longer sees me. He sees Jesus. When I sin, He sees it through the lens of Jesus' blood.
When I fail He sees me with the never ending love of my heavenly Father. When I have days where I fall off the wagon of human kindness, when I have epic fails and the devil throws every accusation at me that he can, God just says "Have you seen my Son?" He no longer sees me, He sees His Son. You have probably sometime in your life heard the phrase 'the Roman's road to salvation'. It takes the book of Romans and shows the steps that it takes to become saved. Starting in chapter 3 stating that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Onto chapter 6 where we see that the price of sin is death. Then chapter 5 states that God loved us even when we were sinners and then into chapter 10 where he says that if we will confess with our mouth and believe then we can be saved. And again back in chapter 3:22 it then states, " the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe." (ESV) We exchange our sin for Jesus' righteousness. The twenty dollar word for that is 'imputed'. The definition of that in a legal sense is this, 'to ascribe to or charge (a person) with an act or quality because of the conduct of another over whom one has control'. Or in simple terms, because of Jesus' obedience to live a sinless life and then to die on the cross for us, His righteousness has been put to our account. It is like that rich uncle I mentioned earlier, but vastly better. This righteousness that has been put to my account can never be squandered. I can never outspend it, I can never drain the account. The only one who could do that won't because He is a good God. He has placed a supernatural overdraft protection on that account and it will never run out.
Let me tell you, there are days where I am just so grateful that His righteousness in me can never be frittered away, overdrawn or dissipated. Does that mean that we can then just rest on our laurels and do nothing. Or more accurately His laurels, as it is all His work and His grace. No, we are to strive to live lives that honor His sacrifice and that will bring glory to His name. We are to take that righteousness imputed to us and share its riches with others so that they might also taste and see that the Lord is good. We are to live a life that reflects who Jesus is and let others see Him in us. Our goal is to live a life that will cause others to see us no longer, but rather to see Him.
Talking about banks and debit cards and overdraft protection, the big worry these days is identity theft. I always used to joke, hey steal my identity, good luck with that. I'm broke, not much you can take from me. And try to open new accounts, ha that's a laugh. My debt to income ratio is lopsided already. Maybe you can steal my identity and leave me a better one. You know what, I have already had my identity taken. And it was replaced with a far better one. My sinful life was exchanged for His righteousness. My ignoble history was replaced with a regal heritage. My pitiful reality was traded for a glorious future. All of this because I said 'yes'. Yes to Him. Yes to my sins being forgiven. Yes to a life of freedom. Yes to everlasting life. Yes to fellowship with Him. I tell you, there are times when I write my blog and meditate on all that He has done for me and I cannot but cry. I sit here with tears in my eyes so grateful for a new life. So grateful for His love. So thankful for forgiveness and mercy. It feels better than winning the lottery. It is like watching the "Price is right". Do you want what's behind curtain 1, 2 or 3? Wait, you get them all and behind curtain number 2 isn't a broken down wash tub. Do you understand that? In exchange for your 'nothing' you receive everything! You enter a broken down beggar and leave with a purple robe, a crown and the keys to the kingdom. You enter that bank hoping to open an account with pennies and learn that your Father owns the bank. Oh my friend, stop living in penury, digging through the trash for crumbs. If you call yourself a child of God, then live like His child. Chosen, loved and privileged.