Me, Mark Twain and Willie Nelson

1. I turned 62 this week.
2. I’m fascinated by the life of Samuel Clemons, also known as Mark Twain.
3. And I’m reading a book written by Willie Nelson.

Those 3 completely unrelated things led me to this question: What does me, Mark Twain and Willie Nelson have in common?  

Both went deep in debt later in their lives.  In their 60’s to be accurate.  The same age I am right now.

Twain had to file bankruptcy, but still ended up paying off his financial debts even though he didn’t have to. He greatly increased his writing and his lectures and worked off his debt.

The same thing happened to Shotgun Willie. Shortly after he turned 60, the Red Headed Stranger, Willie Nelson, had his assets seized by the IRS and owed over $35 million in back taxes. He released 11 albums in the next 10 years and eventually paid off his debts.

What does that have to do with all of us?

Well, number one, we have debts too.  If we have financial debts, we can work those off like Sam and Willie.  But what about the spiritual debts we have built up? Those debts are all of the sins we have committed in our lives thru our thoughts, words and actions.

Can we work off those debts we have built up? No, they are so many we can’t even comprehend the amount. We can’t work them off and the penalty for these sins, these debts against God, is death. It looks hopeless for us.

But, thru Amazing Grace, that huge debt has been paid and we are free.  What happened to all our sins, past present and future? God laid them all on Jesus, the Lamb of God who took away all the sins of the world.  Including yours and mine.

Paul reminded the Colossians of this very thing in Colossians 2:13-14
You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.  He canceled the record of our debt and the charges that stood against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.

In other words, God tore up all our bills…he marked them “paid in full” by the blood of Christ.  And He’s willing to do the same for anyone who puts their trust, faith and love in Him.

Do you know someone that needs their debt forgiven?