Debtors

I am a firm believer that until phrases and principles from the Bible rise up and slap us upside the head, they are trite, meaningless phrases that we Christians claim to believe—but really don’t know at all. Such it is with a little phrase from what is generally known as "The Lord’s Prayer." The little phrase in that prayer to the Almighty God that had previously been meaningless to me is, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."

Perhaps part of the reason this didn’t have quite so much meaning for me was that "debts" are generally assumed to be sin. But just suppose you owe God an actual debt. Like, a debt of money. This may sound insane to you, but I do owe God a debt of money. And in this past week, an event has occurred that has given me an entirely new, living outlook on this trite phrase.

I owe God a debt of money, and I would actually like Him to forgive my debt. (Pride is not a humongous issue with me, in case you haven’t noticed. I’m already very well aware that I’m not very strong and not very good, but I’d like a lot, anyway. There is very little room for pride when you want God to give you a ton of stuff you can’t earn and don’t deserve.) It doesn’t bother me to want Him to forgive my debt, because I do not any longer (as far as I know) have a hang-up about earning and deserving stuff. I’m willing to repay the debt, but I’m even more willing to be forgiven of my debt. That is only part one of the story, though.

In direct relation to that debt, the Lord has now put me in a position where I have the opportunity to forgive others of their debt toward me. Interestingly, not one of those needing forgiveness owes me money. (I know—it seems backward. I owe God financially, and other people owe me emotionally. But that’s the way it is.) And He reminds me of that phrase. And He tells me to pray that phrase: Lord, forgive my financial debt to You, just as I forgive the emotional debt that others owe to me. Ah. And when I’m inclined to dwell on the emotional debt owed to me, I am reminded—my debt will be forgiven me in direct proportion to how I forgive debt.

I have suddenly become extremely interested in forgiving emotional debts!

Consider this for a moment: simply by forgiving the debts of others, I can incite God to forgive my debts. And in case you have forgotten the parable of the servant who owed his master money, what others owe to us is a drop in the bucket—ALWAYS—compared to what we owe to God.

I would like to remind you that every time someone sins against you, it’s merely an opportunity to incite God to forgive you of your debt!

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