Paid In Full

An interesting thing happened to me last week: I got a bill in the mail. I know what you’re thinking, “How is getting a bill in the mail interesting?” Well, it wasn’t just any bill, it was a pink bill that I’d obviously been negligent on regarding timely payment and honestly, that’s not the interesting part but the lesson I learned is definitely sticking with me.

The bill was for my water usage and the pink notification was telling me that if I didn’t pay immediately (in big red letters – IMMEDIATELY), that my water service would be cut off. Initially, my mind went to a conspiracy theory since I couldn't recall ever seeing the initial bill. After that I thought about how much I didn’t want my water cut off. So I called the utilities office to make an immediate payment. The customer service person was pleasant and simply asked me if I wanted to pay the entire amount. I don’t know why I thought it an odd request at the time but then it hit me: It’s obviously very common that people often call just to pay a portion of their bill. No big whoop right? But for me, these are the moments when God shows up to help me see things a little more clearly.

Here’s The Word:

Hebrews 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

Hebrews 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

See, The Law contained the sacrificial system for Israel whereby each transgression was identified along with its required atonement. Just like depending on how much water I used dictated how much money I owed. Now here’s the thing: Under The Law, no amount of MONEY (or rather, the blood of bulls and goats) could never fully pay off your bill so you could only ever expect to pay a ‘portion’ of your bill and a real part of normal life was the idea of paying recurring portions knowing that your name was still in the leger and monies would come due on a recurring basis as your natural affinity to sin was ever-present.

Here’s More Word:

Hebrews 4: 12 But this man(Jesus), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

You see what's being emphasized here? Jesus had a different kind of payment. The payment He offered – that ONLY HE COULD offer, not only absolutely zeroed your account, but it also took your name off the leger forever. You can never, ever receive another bill, let alone a pink one demanding immediate payment.

Without following this rabbit too far down its trail, it’s also apropos that it was the water bill as we know that Jesus is the giver of living water - seen in John 4:14 where spiritually, we see that the bill been taken care of, AND I now have access to a much better source with no restrictions in regard to amount or cost.

I hope that today’s ‘Word’ has given you a reason to rejoice and I hope the next time you receive a bill, any bill, that of course firstly, you’d pay it. However, after that, that you would thank God for Jesus and Jesus’ obedience which removed your name from the leger of that old water company as He Himself, by His blood as taken you out of that book of The Law and placed you in His book of Life - Titled, ‘Paid in Full’.


In Him,
Cros