Who do you owe?
Have you ever had something done for you that was so kind you felt the need to return that kindness? It was like carrying a kindness debt. When I was four years old, we had just moved to a home on Pine Dr in Arnold, CA, and we brought the family Labrador, Barnaby.
By all my memories, he was a good dog. The adult in me had no idea if he was a good obedience dog, but in my four-year-old memory, he was a great dog. One morning, we were driving in my dad’s red Ford pickup, and as we drove past the Meadowmont Lodge on Highway 4, I noticed that Barnaby was sleeping on the side of the road.
I remember telling my father that it was a strange place for Barnaby to be sleeping, and in my father’s wisdom, he did not stop the truck. He just smiled and drove on by. Later in the morning, I remember my brother and sister crying over this loss.
While moving to Arnold, we met a very kind man in Hathaway Pines with an amazing Labrador named Cookie. When this man found out about our family pet, he loaded up his beloved dog, brought him to our house, and gave him to us. Just recounting this story 50 years later has flooded my heart with tears.
What an act of kindness by this gentleman! Cookie was a fantastic dog who was well-trained and incredibly obedient. On the first three nights, he walked five miles back to Hathaway Pines and his owner’s house. The first two nights, the sweet man would drive him back to our house, but on the 3rd morning, he told Cookie to go home, and the dog walked back to our house and never left us again.
As a four-year-old, I had no way to repay this sweet man for his incredible kindness. What I can say is that I can tell by the emotions I feel today that fifty years later, the impact on me was enormous, and I could never repay him for his gift.
Last Sunday, we were given a life-changing gift: the Empty Tomb. That gift can never be repaid, but I fear many of us try to repay it. It is natural for many of us to try to make up for our sins. I have had this mindset in the past, as many of us have. It is hard to be presented with a gift without paying it back.
Just like the sweet man who gave me his dog, and all I could do was give him my adoration, I can NEVER pay back all my sins Jesus took on that Cross that fateful Friday. So what can I do? I can linger at the Cross.
I can love others well and offer my enemies a drink of water. I can sit in adoration of Jesus. I can display the Fruits of the Spirit. I can be a “doer” of the Word. But today, I will linger in the finished work of the Cross with thanksgiving in my heart. If you choose the Linger with me today, I suggest this song.
This week, we will start a series from 1 Timothy & 2 Timothy, which I have titled “He Rose So We Can Rise.” I look forward to seeing how Jesus will move in our hearts this week.
In Him,
Pastor Chris