More Than We Could Ever Pay

I am reminded today of a story about a young teen who decided that his mother should pay him for doing chores around the house. He gave her a bill for his services. The note read:

For washing the dishes – five dollars
For cleaning my room – five dollars
For hanging up my clothes – five dollars
For mowing the yard –five dollars
Mom, you owe me a total of 20 dollars! Now pay up!
The mother left a 20-dollar bill on the kitchen table with a note of her own:
For carrying you nine months and being sick as a dog, no charge.
For staying up all night with you, night after night when you were sick, no charge.
For working overtime so that I could get you those special tennis shoes, no charge.
For entertaining your friends when you bring them home without notice, no charge.
For preparing you meals everyday so that you can be healthy, no charge.
For providing you nice clothes to wear each day so you can look good, no charge.
Signed, Your mother who loves you. Total, Zero!

After reading the note, the young man knew he had made a big mistake. He had forgotten the pure goodness of his mother. What she did, she did for love. She owed him nothing—but he owed her much! Much more than he could ever pay!

The psalmist, in our passage from last Sunday’s sermon, reminded himself of God’s goodness, “The LORD has been good to you” (Psalm 116:7). As a result, he pledged to—

·       Love Him more deeply (v. 1-2)
·       Praise Him more frequently (v. 3-11)
·       Serve Him more faithfully (v. 12-16), and—
·       Give offerings to Him more freely (v. 17-19).  

May we, too, always be mindful of God’s goodness to us that we might give more generously to Him! We owe Him so much…

Devotedly yours,
Pastor Ron