Document: /pub/resources/text/Our.Daily.Bread: db931213.TXT
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    OUR DAILY BREAD                       Monday, December 13, 1993
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    Read:  Philemon

                             A GOOD ACCOUNT

                 If he has wronged you or owes anything,
                         put that on my account.
                              --Philemon 18

    As  a young boy I watched my dad write checks and wished  that  I
    could  do  it.  What I didn't realize was that there  had  to  be
    money in an account to back them up.

    The apostle Paul never wrote a check, but he did have an  account
    good enough to pay an unusual debt if necessary.  He referred  to
    this in his letter to Philemon, a wealthy Christian who lived  in
    Colosse.  Onesimus,  his slave, had run away and may have  stolen
    some money from his master.

    Through divine providence, Onesimus met Paul in Rome and became a
    follower  of  Christ.  They agreed that it was right for  him  to
    return to Philemon.  Paul wrote a letter to Philemon (the epistle
    that bears his name), asking him to receive Onesimus as a brother
    and  assuring  him that he himself would pay  any  debt  Onesimus
    owed.

    That's  a picture of what happens in salvation.  As  sinners,  we
    owe  an enormous debt, but Jesus assumed it for  us.  Because  of
    His  sinless life, He has a limitless resource of  righteousness.
    And by dying in our place, He paid the penalty for our  sin.  Now
    we can draw on this payment by faith.  As Martin Luther said, "We
    are  all  God's Onesimi."  If we put our trust in Christ  as  our
    Savior,  our sins are put to His account and we are free for  all
    eternity.  Praise God!

    Author:  Dennis J. De Haan

                   Rejoice, rejoice, the debt is paid!
                  For all our sins on Christ were laid;
                   Estrangement once was all we knew,
                   But now we know a love that's true.
                                  --DJD

    THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
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    Christ  paid a debt He didn't owe to satisfy a debt  we  couldn't
    pay.

    THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  Philemon

          
          




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