One of my favorite things in my favorite things basket is an old ledger that belonged to my great grandfather who before the Great Depression had a successful real-estate business. By reading through it, I could see he was involved in a church, maybe a person who took care of purchases for the little congregation. He wrote that he had ordered the coal to warm the faithful venturing out on those frigid Illinois mornings to give praise to our God. He noted his purchased cars, complete with make, model, and color along with the many numbers that identified this beauty. He seemed to be a generous man who regularly gave to the church that he had attended all his life. He didn’t write a great testimony of his salvation, but he did depict his personality in so many ways.

I would love to know about who he was in the Lord. Did he just blindly follow in the footsteps of his parents and extended family that were jotted down in this ragtag ledger or did he meet Jesus afresh?

As I read through the scores of entries, my curiosity gave in to my imagination and I fashioned my own version of the actors in this colorful troupe of ordinary people. But as my eyes appraised each scrawled name and sum of money spent or owed. I came across my grandpa’s name a few times: “Charlie borrowed $5 dollars to buy groceries.” Then my eyes followed the official line on the light green paper, to find, “Charlie $5 PAID IN FULL, my great grandfathers initial verifying the transaction.

Jesus knew about paying everything. In His sovereignty, His death to pay for our sins was planned from the very beginning. He didn’t look down on earth and seeing the sin and disobedience rampant of His people decided to come to earth. God the Father did not wring His hands or scream in frustration, “I didn’t know this would happen!” Knowing everything, He had already planned to show mercy to His people by the shedding of the divine blood of His Son, Jesus Christ on the cross.

Have you asked Jesus into your heart? Has the Savior stamped PAID IN FULL beside your name on his ledger? Unlike my great grandfather’s ledger with PAID IN FULL stamped on my account and initialed, only the precious blood of Jesus can pay for my sins and yours.

“For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14 NLT)

Jeanie Nihiser
Volunteer and Prayer Warrior with Answers2Prayer Ministries
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31 NIV)


If you would like to have PAID IN FULL beside your name on God’s ledger, why not accept Jesus into your heart today? You can do so by clicking here!