Paid For

This is a repost of the Reynolds Rap from August 19, 2020. 

Have you ever known anyone who has such a generous heart that it just amazes you? That person who would not just give the shirt off their back but would go out and buy a new one for someone they don’t even know. I wish I were that guy. It is not that I’m stingy, or at least I don’t think I am. There are just those who can see a need, and then they are willing to do something about that need. I am more than willing; I just don’t take the time to look around. Now, my wife, on the other hand, has that ability. There have been many times that we’ve been out to dinner, and she would see someone, usually an older person who would be dining alone, and would say, “Hey, let’s buy their meal.”  I am all for it, I just wish I had thought of it first. It is so much fun to watch the server tell them that their meal is paid for and then watch the person look around to see if there is somebody they know who may have paid. Then, when they don’t recognize anyone, they have that bewildered look on their face, and you know what they are thinking, “What in the world is going on here? Who paid for my meal?”

The words, “don’t worry about the check, it is all paid for by someone else,” are great words if you ask me. This is why the salvation story is so amazing to me.

In my devotions today, I was reading in John chapter 19 about the crucifixion. On the cross, as Jesus was dying to take the penalty of my sin, He cried out these words, “It is finished.” In Greek, it means “PAID IN FULL.” The price of all mankind’s sin and rebellion was taken care of right there on that cross. All we must do is accept the truth that it is paid for and surrender to the One Who paid the bill. Isn’t it sad that so many people reject this amazing gift of salvation?

What if one of those people whom my wife and I paid for their meals decided to say no, they want to pay for it themselves? We would call that person foolish. (By the way, no one has declined to this point) Yet, the enemy of our souls has blinded so many people into not accepting the greatest gift that one could ever imagine. Church, let us stand upon the wall, crying out that hell is real, but what Jesus did on the cross is greater.

Continue to spread the love of Jesus, and if you get the chance, buy a stranger’s meal and watch as they scan the restaurant. It may even bring a smile to your face and joy to your heart.