⁴ When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. ⁵ But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. ⁶ David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it:

⁷ “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. ⁸ Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”

Free Money

Yesterday, Paul referenced Abraham, one of the most highly respected people within Jewish culture. Today, he uses another of the key people in Jewish history: David. And he uses an example that is easy for all of us to relate to: earning a living.

Imagine you were sitting at your dining room table working on your personal finances. You feel burdened under the weight of your debt. Spread across the table are all kinds of bills. Mortgage, credit cards, car and motorcycle loans, etc. It’s overwhelming to see how much debt you have. As you start to work out the numbers it becomes too much, and you feel the tears coming. Some of you can relate to this scenario. It hits close to home.

Now, imagine there’s a knock on the door. You try to compose yourself as you stand up and walk towards the door. As you open it, you are greeted with a stranger. “I’m wondering if I could have a minute of your time.” He says, and you immediately assume he is a salesman. You start to close the door on him, but he asks again, “Please, I promise I’m not trying to sell you anything. If you’d only give me a minute, I could change your life. I wont force what I’m offering on you, and if you choose to close the door on me, I’ll leave, but if you give me just one minute, I have something that will give you hope.”

Hope? How does he know you were feeling hopeless? You stand there and debate with yourself. Do you close the door or do you let him in. Finally, you decide to give him the time he is asking for. You invite him in. He tells you that he knows about the burden you are carrying. He knows about the pile of paperwork on your table, and the amount of debt you’ve accumulated. And then he offers to cover your debt. To pay all the bills and give you freedom from a burden you cannot resolve on your own.

Now, go to the day after the bills were paid off. You’re sitting at the table again. Only this time, there are no bills screaming at you. You feel completely free. The burden is gone. The main took care of something that wasn’t his and he did it without any strings attached.

How would you feel? Would you be smug? Would you feel like you deserved the treatment from the stranger? Or, as you thought of him, would you find your heart overwhelmed with gratitude?

THAT’S what Paul is driving at when he quotes David. “Oh, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”

My prayer: Lord, I had a debt that I could not pay. It was beyond my ability to fix. I had broken the Law far too much. My record of wrongs was great. And yet, you stood at the door and knocked. When I invited you in, you offered me a gift that I did not deserve. You wiped away my record of wrongs. You gave me a clean slate. Words will never be adequate to express the gratitude I have for what you did for me. Lord, you have my heart, my life. Amen.

Until tomorrow.