Paid In Full

By Mary Sefzik –

I recently bought a new iPhone, and along with this tech toy came a bill. As a blind person, writing and mailing a check was not my first choice. I decided to try paying online. I created an account, logged in, and entered all my information—only to be met with an error message. I tried again but was greeted by the same unknown error. I went on to Option No. 2—paying by phone. Entering numbers quickly as a beginning touch screen user was not going to happen. My frustration level increased as an automated voice kept repeating “I’m sorry, I don’t understand you.”

With tears rolling down my cheeks, I launched the AT&T app on my phone. This time I was told my user name and password did not match their records. I screamed. Why did something that should be so simple turn out to be so hard? I took a deep breath and tried again—focusing all my brain power on entering the correct letters. Finally, Success! I received a text message saying my payment had been processed. Another tech battle won.

Paying bills is a necessary part of life but there is one bill we can never pay—the debt of our sin. All the money on earth couldn’t pay this debt. There is only one payment option and thankfully it is a one-time payment. And the payment process is easy. No need to create an account with a secure password containing at least one capital letter and one number. No pesky capchas to solve or security questions to answer. All the fields have been filled in for you. Every sin you’ve committed in the past or will commit in the future has been paid for in full by Jesus’ death on the cross. No multi-page agreement here.

All you have to do is accept His terms. Accept the fact that you are a sinner, believe Jesus defeated death by dying on the cross and rising from the dead, and accept Him as your Savior and the Boss of your life. Your one-time acceptance of these three simple terms grants you eternal life in heaven and strength to meet the daily trials of earthly life. This promise is secure—unaffected by company mergers or computer hackers. Your confirmation number is John 3:16 NIV “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Act now. This is a limited time offer. Today is the day of salvation.