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| "Enter The Unlimited Realm" "Expose, Oppose, Depose The Devil" "Others" "Take Inventory - Take Territory" "The 5 Biggest Fools In Town" "The 5 Worst Buys In Town" |
"I O NO 1" - Kris Jackson |
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"I O NO 1"
So said the novelty plate on a car that I passed the other day - I O NO 1 - which reads "I OWE NO ONE!" Silly man...does he honestly think he can make it without the help of another? Seduced man...does he, by himself, have power to keep his heart beating the rest of the day? Self-made man...by the look of the car bearing that plate, he didn't make much. Imagine what difference there would be were he God-made rather than self-made!
That's been the problem of Adam's fallen race since the beginning - SELF. The average man has "I" trouble..."I did this", I did that", "I think", "I will", "I will not". The Christian life, that is the crucified life is defined by Paul this way - "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me..." (Galatians 2:20) When the Elvis Presleys and Frank Sinatras of the world sing "I did it my way" they must also confess, "The record shows I took the blows..." So in this driver's self-striving attempt to "owe no one" he finds himself incapable of adding a single cubit to his stature or of making one gray hair black again. He beats his fists against time and circumstance and pretends that his knuckles are not bleeding worse by the minute.
Sir - Ma'am - you do OWE someone!
You owe your parents who toddled, coddled and swaddled you from infancy. "Honor thy father and mother" is a response to my family debt. My Dad who taught me and fought for me and my Mom who fed me, led me and read to me are at the top of the list of those who I owe. They were our taxi drivers, doctors, pastors, loan companies, coaches, launderers, tutors, dentists and night watchmen all in one, never asking a penny in return. I O NO 1? Certainly I owe my parents and grandparents. When Jesus taught us to pray, "And forgive us our debts..." no doubt, He had the old folks in mind.
Also, Mr. Self-made Man, you owe the patriots and veterans of war from the snows of Valley Forge to the sands of Normandy and Iwo Jima, even to the blown dust of Khabul. Hundreds of thousands have risked their lives and many of them gave their lives for your freedom. I O NO 1? The September 9-11 wake-up call ought to give the ladies an appreciation that they are not imprisoned behind Mohammedan veils and remind us men that our freedom to "fly the friendly skies", apply for work where we wish and go to church according to the dictates of our own consciences, those "certain unalienable rights" claimed by our founding fathers, are the most treasured possessions we Americans own. Yes, I also owe those willing to defend freedom.
And there are so many others on my "I OWE" list, pastors who have invested time in my spiritual training, helpful adults - an Art instructor, Track coach, loving neighbor, etc that saw "good" in a usually "bad" kid, but looked beyond it, remembering their own shortcomings as a young person. My mother-in-law prayed me out of Hell and into Heaven. I owe something for that. A burdened evangelist brought the gospel to our little sleepy town. I owe for the opportunity of hearing a message that millions around the globe never had the chance to hear. With that similarly in mind Paul wrote - "I am debtor, both to the Jew and the Greek, to the wise and unwise..." (Romans 1:14) If God has been so merciful to one like myself who merited nothing from Him, how can I withhold that same mercy from another?
But the greatest debt is to that One who shed His blood for my forgiveness. The old chorus says, "He paid a debt He did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay, I needed someone to wash my sins away..." And the classic hymn declared, "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow". Thank You, Lord for "grace", that divine prerogative that You were free to give or deny to we unworthy slaves of sin. But You gave it - freely, fully, faithfully, fantastically! Of course there is nothing I or any of us could do to repay that debt, not if we were afforded a thousand lifetimes, but out of gratitude I must try to say "thanks" by passing that grace on to the next person. It's too bad for the guy with the arrogant license plate but none of us have to live like him. Instead, feast on this last line as you go about your day in and for Christ,
I OWE, I OWE, SO OFF TO WORK I GO!
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All rights reserved by "Kris Jackson Ministries" 2001. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the author's consent.
