Wednesday, March 30, 2011

PAY IT FORWARD!

God is so good to us. His blessings are just overflowing. Even in the darkest, troublesome times, God has a way to open up the heavens and shower us with His power and blessing!

How come we don't fully recognize His blessings?

Sometimes it is because we lose focus. In our desperate time of need, when we finally get to the place of  safety, we are just so relieved to have the storm behind us that we lose focus on how we got thru the storm. When God pours His blessing out upon us, it is not always for our benefit. Have you considered that His blessing is not to be kept to yourself?

Why not pay it forward?

When God blesses you...you turn around and bless someone else. I have come to realize lately that when God blesses me, it may be so I can be obedient and turn around and bless someone else. Sure, God could easily bless that other person and meet their need...but He is looking for obedience and when I am in tuned to His Spirit to pay it forward, it becomes a double blessing!

The indebted servant in Matthew 18 had an opportunity to "pay it forward". The servant owes his master an incredible amount, the king could have punished him greatly for not being able to settle it, but instead he pardons him and wipes his debt clean. The very next thing that happens is so amazing and so real-life to me. The servant goes out and is given the same opportunity, he has the chance to also forgive a debt owed him, but instead he attacks his debtor and demands to be paid. His injustice and inability to pay it forward lands him back in jail until his debt is paid in full.

MATTHEW 18:32, 33 "You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?"

We can be like the wicked servant in Matthew 18. We each owe God an incredible debt, which none of us can ever re-pay. Each of us deserves to be thrown into a "debtors" prison, but instead, God has mercy on us, He pays our bill in full. Because of Calvary, our debt is paid, we are forgiven.

Have you been forgiven?
Then your debt is no more. So, go out and pay it forward!

1 comment:

Me said...

Nice thought... pay it forward. There are so many ways we can do that. I try to give back by volunteering at the Crisis Pregnancy Center that my church runs. I teach Infant Care classes to people who are pregnant and never took care of a new born before. The reward of giving a little of my time each week is so wonderful. I see God open hearts on a daily basis here as I teach others baby basics.