Oweing something...

I went to the gym today to work out and I came to a realization. I don't really want to work out and I am not really motivated to become the best football player that I can be this summer. As I was running on the eliptical, I had a thought... I owe this football program so much. I came here to escape from a horrible experience at UPS. I had heard of the program at PLU and how great it was and how the players were more important than the scoreboard and I wanted that. I came here and Chad grabbed me, first by having morning bible studies and then by meeting with me and allowing me to be myself anf spurring me on to growth in Christ. Chad would never have had that opportunity if it were not for PLU football.

I owe PLU football my eternal salvation in essence. Paul writes to a slave owner in the book of Philemon about accepting back a slave that had run away and joined himself to Paul. Paul writes and urges Philemon to take this slave back and to treat him as a useful brother, reminding Philemon, "not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well." Philemon 1:19.

I owe PLU football a debt I cannot repay because I was able to experience Jesus in a way I never thought would be for me. The only way I can pay this debt is by hard work and long hours in the weight room and on the track getting better as a football player.

In the same way, I owe a debt to my Savior that I can never repay. He came and grabbed my heart, it was not Chad even though God used Chad, but only by the work of His Holy Spirit. When faced with such debt, we have two choices...

1) Realize how big it is and decide that it is too big to even attempt to pay off. This leads to ignoring the debt and hoping that it might go away. This never works, because as much as we pretend the debt doesn't exist, it still is there.

2) Realize how big the debt is and decide that we should take Jesus up on His offer. He paid the debt already and all He asks is our own lives in return. We can choose to acknowledge our debt and decide to try and pay it by living with everyting we have for Jesus.

I love the Ragamuffin Gospel because it illustrates the point that we are paupers at the doorstep of God's grace...

Abba, I am a pauper, I need You to come and make my debt go away. I am left with only grattitude for what you have done for me, Lord let me keep this attitude of gratefulness and teach me how to pay off my debt here on earth, living for You completely.