Pay It Forward

For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:6-8 ESV

 

Last week I shared the greatest love story ever; a story of a God reaching out to his broken bride, His people, His church, and sending His only son to take the punishment that we deserved.  Through Jesus’ death, he reconciled our relationship with God, our maker, our Heavenly Father, in a way that we never could have done ourselves.  Jesus gave us the gift of grace and new life freely, even though we can’t earn it or do anything to deserve it.

 

How do you respond to an over the top, something you don’t deserve kind of gift?  There is surely no way that you could ever pay it back, or give something of equal value.  You need to do something out of gratitude for the gift you’ve been given.  Our response to God’s gift can be this: pay it forward.  Go out and share that good news with others, pass along the great gift to someone else, sharing the love, the grace, the truth, that God has shared with each of us.  There is no way that we can ever repay the gift Jesus was, but we can respond to that gift in gratitude and pay it forward to everyone that we meet.  You can embody that grace, service, and love to all those you interact with throughout your week.  You can hold a door, befriend someone, and listen to someone having a tough day.  You can go out, and represent God in everything you do, and everywhere you go.

 

Pastor Bill

 

Discussion Questions

  1. How might you live out your gratitude for what God has done for you?