Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Philippians 4:19
The Canceled Debt
Perhaps the greatest riches at Christ’s expense are the cancelled debts that our sin had accumulated against us. The Apostle Paul reminds us that “you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13-14).
God’s Wrath Avoided
The Word of God says that “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10). The wrath of God that is accumulating for the lost, where it is said that He is storing up His wrath (Romans 2:5), is something that none of us should desire for those who are separated from God by their sins (Isaiah 59:2); therefore, we should share the riches of the Gospel with the lost.
Seeking Him First
If we are seeking God and His kingdom first and foremost, above all things, then Jesus has promised that God will supply every need we have or will ever need (Matthew 6:33). This doesn’t mean everything we want but everything we need; that’s a huge difference. We need to know the difference between the riches of Christ and the greed of the human heart.
The Owner of All Things
Talk about riches. God is the owner of all things, yet He gracious shares with those of us who don’t deserve it, even sending the rain on the just and the unjust. Jesus commands us, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:44-45).
Conclusion
We must repent and trust in Christ and have our sins placed on Him, as He has paid for them at the cross, or we will have to pay for them in hell where no debt will ever fully be paid. That’s why hell is just as eternal as heaven. But remember the faithful promise that “God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
