Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with GodSample

THE ETERNAL DEBT After long years of working and saving, some men brag, "I don't owe anything to anybody." The real believer can never say that. Paul forever settled our responsibility by saying: I am a debtor. Later he observed: Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law (Romans 13:8). The Christian is never really free from debt; he always owes his love. Bound to his "love debt," Paul proceeded to give his life for those about him. He traveled the world preaching the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles. He discharged his responsibility to Greeks and barbarians. And because he paid his debt, we are still reaping the benefits. We are probably Christians today because Paul was responsible enough to travel to Europe and preach the Gospel of our Lord. Thank God, Paul never felt free from his obligation. In these last days, many of God's people are feeling the same responsibility Paul did. They realize how very much they owe the world the privilege of hearing the Gospel and finding Christ as Lord. Because they are faithfully fulfilling their debt, millions have come into the Kingdom. Only as people like Paul recognize their responsibility can the world be won to the Lord. We owe a debt to those at home and those across the sea. We owe a debt to the cultured "up and outers" as well as the crass "down and outers." May we pay our debt.